In an answer filed in federal court Thursday, attorneys for Los Angeles County denied any liability or wrongdoing in the death of Deputy Alfredo “Freddy” Flores.
Flores, a 20-year veteran of the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department, suffered third-degree burns in an October 2023 explosion at Pitchess Detention Center that caused his death the following year, according to the lawsuit.
There have been several filings this month as the case moves to the Central District of California.
Inveris Training Solutions, the Georgia-based company that manufactured the mobile gun range, was added to the lawsuit in a cross-complaint filed last week.
An upcoming hearing date has not yet been set in the trial, according to Jeniifer Rediehs, an attorney for Inveris, who was reached by phone Thursday. She declined to comment on the proceedings.
Counsel for L.A. County, which is representing the LASD, filed a motion in May moving the case to federal court in Downtown Los Angeles, which was ordered last week.
“Defendants deny generally and specifically each and every allegation in the complaint and deny liability as to each and every cause of action alleged herein,” according to the defense filing signed Aug. 8. The attorneys asked for the case to be dismissed with prejudice.
Flores never went home after being hospitalized for his burns on Oct. 10, 2023. A previous statement from the family said their purpose was to make sure no other deputy’s family suffers the same fate. He died April 20, 2024.
“With this lawsuit, we also want to ensure that no other deputies lose their lives in this way because no family should have to go through the devastation that our family has had to face and continues to face every day,” according to the family’s statement, in a news release announcing the lawsuit in May.
The complaint filed on behalf of the Flores family states while Flores was conducting routine firearms training in the 53-foot mobile gun range at the Castaic jail, a fire ignited due to “an accumulation of unburned gunpowder residue, lead particles and other flammable materials.” These conditions are also cited in violations found at an Occupational Safety and Health Administration inspection of the mobile range following the accident.
The firm representing the Flores family, Carpenter & Zuckerman, released footage it obtained from surveillance cameras, which shows Flores frantically trying to take off his utility belt after the accident.
Federal records from OSHA indicated inspectors found five violations at the North County Correctional Facility training range associated with the incident that resulted in $300,000 in fines being levied. They were issued April 4, 2024, and contested in June, according to OSHA records available online.
An LASD spokeswoman referred to the department’s previous statement when reached for comment Thursday.
“The department has not officially received this lawsuit but stands firm on creating an environment focused on safety and well-being for all employees. The National Response Team (NRT) from ATF Los Angeles Field Division and the Sheriff’s Arson Explosives Detail have preliminarily determined that the nature of the fire is accidental, and the investigation is still ongoing. As a proactive measure, all mobile shooting ranges across the county remained closed while they investigate the cause and origin of the fire,” according to the previously issued statement. “Due to the vast area that the department covers, these mobile ranges were placed in certain geographic locations so personnel can maintain their firearm qualifications. We are currently using other law enforcement ranges and our outdoor Wayside range for firearm qualifications.”
The Sheriff’s Department is still reeling and searching for answers from an explosion last month that represented the agency’s largest loss of life in nearly 170 years of service.
In that incident, three detectives with the department’s Arson and Explosives Unit were killed, including a Santa Clarita Valley resident named Joshua Kelley-Eklund, when one of the three triggered the explosion of a live grenade that was believed to be inert, according to officials.
Detectives have not yet been able to determine what triggered the explosion.
In that investigation, officials indicated they still believe there’s a second grenade that’s still unaccounted for.
