The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department is under criminal scrutiny inside its own house, confirming on March 26 that it is investigating whether employees improperly shared graphic photos taken after a grenade explosion that killed three of its arson-and-explosives specialists. The blast happened on July 18, 2025, at the Biscailuz Regional Training Center in East Los Angeles and killed Detectives Joshua Kelley-Eklund, Victor Lemus, and William Osborn. The photo controversy is unfolding while state workplace-safety findings and multiple criminal probes continue to press the department for answers.
The department acknowledged the photo investigation in a statement to NBC Los Angeles, saying, "The Department is aware of the photo allegations, and there is an ongoing investigation." The agency described the inquiry as a criminal investigation and added that "if the investigation reveals evidence that misconduct occurred and policies were violated, then the appropriate action will be taken." Rumors that graphic images were circulating internally began soon after the July blast, but officials did not publicly confirm a formal internal criminal probe until this month.
According to reporting by the Los Angeles Times, the internal criminal investigation into the photos was opened in September, and Cmdr. Thomas Giandomenico, a 38-year department veteran, was relieved of duty on Sept. 11, 2025, while that probe went forward. The Times reports that investigators are also running separate criminal investigations into the deputies’ deaths and the disappearance of a second grenade tied to the case. For a department still living down the 2020 photo-leak scandal after the helicopter crash that killed Kobe Bryant and others, the parallels are hard to miss.
State safety agency issues fines
A months-long review by the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health resulted in eight citations and more than $350,000 in proposed penalties related to the blast, according to recent coverage. KIIS-FM reports that Cal/OSHA found failures that included inadequate training, gaps in documented drills, and instances where ordnance was left unattended. The Sheriff’s Department has appealed Cal/OSHA’s findings. State attorneys, in turn, have asked a judge to order the department to hand over training logs, X-ray results, and other records they say are needed to complete the fatality investigation.
Widow’s claim, a missing device, and federal probes
The widow of Detective Victor Lemus has filed a government damages claim alleging that the department failed to provide proper explosives training and that colleagues mishandled the grenades before the fatal blast, according to the Los Angeles Times. The filing states that two grenades were recovered from an apartment in the 800 block of Bay Street in Santa Monica the day before the explosion, and that one of those devices later detonated at Biscailuz. The second device is still unaccounted for. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives is leading the federal technical investigation into how the device detonated, while local homicide and internal investigations continue, AP reported.
Legal and privacy stakes
The stakes are not only internal. Legal and civil exposure is on the table if investigators determine that unauthorized photos were taken or shared. A high-profile verdict and subsequent litigation over leaked crash-site photos involving Kobe Bryant’s family helped spur the state to pass AB 2655, as covered by Courthouse News Service. The measure, known as the Kobe Bryant Act, amended state law through Penal Code §647.9, making it a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $1,000 per violation and allowing limited seizure of devices connected to suspected violations, according to the bill text on the California Legislature website. Families also retain the option to pursue civil claims for privacy and emotional-distress damages.
What comes next
For now, the Sheriff’s Department finds itself under a microscope from several directions. The internal criminal review, the ATF’s technical investigation, and Cal/OSHA’s workplace-safety case are all moving ahead while the department challenges the state findings and families advance their own claims. In its statement to NBC Los Angeles, the department said it is cooperating with outside agencies while the internal probe continues. Key questions remain unresolved, including who saw any images, how those images were stored or shared, and whether criminal charges will ultimately follow.
