A lawyer for the family of a man killed by a Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy said Wednesday that an independent autopsy revealed 18-year-old Andres Guardado was shot five times in the back.
The independent autopsy was performed after the Sheriff’s Department placed a security hold on a report by the county’s medical examiner-coroner office, attorney Adam Shea said in a statement that called for release of the official autopsy.
The attorney released a black-and-white photo showing holes in Guardado’s back.
According to the June 26 autopsy by Dr. Bennet I. Omalu, a forensic pathologist famed for his discovery of CTE, Guardado also suffered a graze abrasion to his left forearm. Preliminary toxicology testing showed Guardado did not have any drugs or alcohol in his system, the independent report said.
Guardado was shot June 18 near the city of Gardena.
The Sheriff’s Department has said deputies saw Guardado talking to someone in a car blocking a driveway and that Guardado had a gun. The department said Guardado saw the deputies and ran, leading to a chase.
A deputy fired at Guardado, who was struck in the torso and died at the scene. No specific details of why the shooting occurred have been released. Investigators have said they don’t believe Guardado fired at deputies.
Family members and friends said Guardado worked as a security guard at an auto body shop.
The Sheriff’s Department said he was too young to be licensed as a guard, wasn’t wearing a uniform and had a loaded “ghost” gun that appeared to have been pieced together from different parts, lacked a serial number and had an illegal high-capacity magazine.
“Andres was a good boy, he was our son and he had so much life ahead of him. Our son did not deserve to die this way,” parents Cristobal and Elisa Guardado said in a statement.
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors late last month called for oversight of the investigation by the county’s inspector general. The board also asked its counsel to report on alternative plans for an independent probe.
Sheriff Alex Villanueva has said he asked Attorney General Xavier Becerra to monitor the shooting investigation “out of an abundance of caution” and that he is committed to transparency.