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An independent autopsy has found that #AndresGuardado, the teenager who was shot and killed by sheriff deputies on June 18 in Los Angeles, was shot in the back five times.
According to Adam Shea, the lawyer for the family, Guardado also suffered a graze abrasion to his left forearm that shows a forward trajectory and helps support the claims that he was indeed shot from behind. In addition, the autopsy confirmed he did not have drugs or alcohol in his system.
Shea believes “without a doubt,” the death was unjustified police violence once again on an innocent man. “Andres was not facing deputies so he should not have been shot, he should not have been killed, and the sheriff’s department is just trying to put the kibosh on this information so that nobody knows what really happened,” Shea added.
The Los Angeles police report and sheriff deputies claim they opened fire on the 18-year-old after he brandished a handgun at deputies and then ran from them. However, the lawyers representing the victim’s family disputed the accusations and requested their own autopsy on June 26.
The attorney representing the deputy who fired the shots, Miguel Vega, says his client was shooting in self-defense when Guardado reached for his gun while on the ground. According to Vega’s attorney, when deputies caught up with Guardado, he initially complied with orders to lay on the ground. Deputy Vega began approaching Guardado and ordered him not to reach for his gun, it was then Guardado “suddenly and in direct contravention to these commands” clearly and unmistakably tried to grab his firearm. Deputy Vega claims he drew his weapon and fired in self-defense.
According to ABC7, Sheriff Alex Villanueva previously contacted the state attorney general amid calls for an independent investigation and says he will release video footage once the investigation is over. However, reports claim cameras did not capture the shooting.
“I want to give my condolences to the Guardado family,” Villanueva said at an afternoon press conference. “This is still an ongoing investigation, and no matter what the outcome is, I know as a father, despite whatever the facts may be that arise from this investigation, they’ve lost a son. So my heart goes out to them.”
Commander Chris Marks of LA County Sheriff’s Department announced during a press conference on Wednesday that a gun was recovered at the scene, despite reports on social media claiming there wasn’t one. He also announced that the deputy who shot and killed Guardado has yet to be interviewed but is scheduled to do so. Apparently, statements from deputies are voluntary; therefore, they’re on his “timetable.”
The other deputy involved, who did not fire at Guardado has been interviewed, and LASD still employs both. The family has complained about transparency and information from the department, as well as the “security hold” placed on the victim’s autopsy report by the local medical examiner. The hold means it could be some time before the information is released to the public.
According to CNN, homicide investigators requested the hold because they would like to complete the “voluntary” interviews before informing the public on how Guardado died. However, the victim’s parents, Cristobal and Elisa Guardado are urging the department to release the hold and provide evidence surrounding the case. Marks said that the department is aware of the separate individual autopsy and adds that the county medical examiner has not yet notified them that its autopsy is done. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
“It has been 20 days since Andres was tragically gunned down by a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputy,” said attorney Nicholas Yoka. “We are once again imploring the Sheriff’s Department to step forward, release the Medical Examiner’s autopsy report and do the right thing by this family.”
“Our son did not deserve to die this way,” they said in a statement. “We understand that there is still a long way to go, but we are going to continue to keep fighting for justice for Andres. We want to ensure that other families do not have to suffer as we have.”
Shea says he asked for the coroner to sit down with the family and go over the actual physical exam of the autopsy, but it is the sheriff’s department that is not letting them do it “because they know this was an unjustified shooting. They know this is a bad look for the sheriff’s department, and they’re trying to hide it.”
There have been protests in Compton to honor Guardado, and at one demonstration, there was a clash between authorities and protesters. Seven arrests were made, including six for unlawful assembly. Deputies used flash-bangs, pepper balls, and smoke grenades claiming protesters threw objects at them.
FBI has been briefed on the case and will continue to monitor the investigation, Marks said.
