Three veteran lawmakers were killed in a fatal explosion on Friday, with growing memorials outside the LA County Sheriff’s Department training center in East Los Angeles.
The fallen lawmakers – Detectives Joshua Kelly Ecklund, Victor Remus and William Osborne served in the division and total of 74 years. Among them, they leave 16 children behind and are still trying to deal with what happened.
“There is no word to describe the pain and sadness we feel,” said LA County Sheriff Robert Luna. “These heroes represent the best in our department and illustrate courage, integrity and selfless service. This is not only a heartbreaking loss for our family, but also a heartbreaking loss for all of us.”
Flowers, candles and handwritten messages line the boundaries of the Biscales Regional Training Center on Eastern Avenue, where the explosion occurred around 7:30am on Friday morning. The agent remains listed on the site and is currently an active crime scene under investigation.
On Saturday morning, a visibly upset deputy visited the growing memorial. Among them was Hilda Solis, a superintendent of LA County, who layed the flowers.
From left: Detective Joshua Kelly Ecklund, Detective Victor Rems and Detective William Osborne of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Division.
Authorities say all parts of the LASD elite arson explosive details were operating uninduced explosives recovered from Santa Monica apartment the night before, but an explosion occurred while detectives made the move recovered from Santa Monica apartment. The team had been called to a residential complex on Bay Street to remove hidden areas for potentially volatile devices.
The next morning, when one of these devices was being treated at an East LA facility, it exploded unexpectedly.
The force of the explosion shattered the windows and caused the car alarm from nearly 100 feet away. Despite early reports of multiple injuries, Sheriff Luna later confirmed that the three detectives were the only victims.
“This is our biggest loss of life for us as the LA County Sheriff’s Office since 1857,” Luna said. “They are great experts and unfortunately I lost three of them today.”
Authorities have not said who created or stored the device, but noted that criminal charges can be filed according to investigators’ learning. The Federal Alcohol Administration, cigarettes, firearms and explosives are currently leading the investigation along with the FBI and LAPD bomb teams.
ATF also rolled out the Elite National Response Team. It deploys a specialist unit of federal agents, explosives specialists, forensic scientists, engineers and K-9s at the East LA Training Center. The team is only revitalized for the most serious and complicated fire and explosion cases in the country. This was just the 14th revitalization of this fiscal year, highlighting the gravity of the incident that claimed the lives of three veteran law enforcement officers.
A memorial can be seen where three LASD agents lost their lives in an explosion at a training facility. July 2025 (KTLA) agents will be seen at a memorial set up by a site where three LASD lawmakers lost their lives in an explosion at a training facility. July 2025 (KTLA) 3 Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputies died in an explosion on July 18, 2025 at the Viscale Regional Training Center in East Los Angeles. Sheriff’s deputies were killed explosively in an explosion on July 18, 2025 (KTLA) 3 Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputies (KTLA) 3 Los Angeles Bizkells Regional Training Center. On July 18, 2025, Biscales Regional Training Center (KTLA) Sky5 in East Los Angeles had surpassed a training facility where at least three lawmakers were killed in the explosion in East Los Angeles. July 2025 (KTLA) Sky5 was over a training facility where at least three deputies were killed in an explosion in East Los Angeles. July 2025 (KTLA) 3 Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputies died in an explosion on July 18, 2025 at the Bisskills Regional Training Center in East Los Angeles.
On Friday evening, a strict queue escorted the bodies of the fallen deputies from the training center to the LA County Examination Office. First responders, city leaders and grieving colleagues lined up the 3.5-mile route to pay tribute to the fall.
The department has since released additional information about the agent.
Detective Joshua Kelly Ecklund, a former drug officer who joined LASD in 2006, got married and was a father of seven children.
Detective Victor Remus, a former K-9 executive who joined the company in 2003, leaves behind a wife and three daughters.
Detective William Osborne, a longtime arson investigator and assistant director of the patrol who joined in 1992, had a wife and six children.
Their collective services have left a mark in countless communities for over 70 years.
“They are the people you see at church,” said a local resident. “I’m still in shock.
The date for the public celebration has not been announced yet.
Omar Lewis contributed to this report.
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