The widow of a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Bomb Squad member who died in an explosion last year has filed a legal claim against the agency, alleging negligence and violation of protocols that led to his death.
KNX News’ Pete Demetriou reported that the claim submitted by Nancy Lemus indicated that her husband, Det. Victor Lemus, had not attended the FBI Bomb School in Alabama or received training in handling explosives before he and two other bomb technicians died in an explosion at a L.A. County Sheriff’s training facility in East L.A.
The claim also indicated two other technicians used substandard equipment in making that assessment, and that other procedural and safety protocols in explosives handling were violated.
Demetriou also reported that while the sheriff’s department declined to comment on the claim, officials said in a statement that they have updated training manuals and guidelines for explosive calls.
The explosion happened on July 18, 2025. Sheriff Robert Luna called it “the largest loss of life for us as the L.A. County Sheriff's Department since 1857."
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