One of the two hands -found grenades in a complex of Santa Monica townhouses before the mortal explosion that killed three detectives of the Los Angeles County Sheriff, according to the authorities, authorities said on Friday.
The alcohol, tobacco, firearms and explosives office has determined that one of the two grenades detonated on July 18, “and one of the grenades is not counted at this time,” said Sheriff Robert Luna.
“We perform an exhaustive search to locate the second device, but we have not yet found it,” he said during an informative session.
The ATF, which is investigating the explosion, will also assume “total control to investigate the whereabouts of this other device,” he added.
Kenny Cooper, a special agent in charge of the Field Division of Los Angeles of the ATF, said Friday that a national detection dogs, explosive and technical specialists was hired to survey an area that covers more than 400 feet of the origin of the explosion in a failed attempt to locate the missing explosive.
The researchers were able to determine the type of military grenade that was used, but they were still investigating the origin of the devices.
The agency will also investigate the origin of the Granada, as well as its movements, he said.
According to sources of application of the law, the investigators learned that one of the grenades was missing when they could only find one of the “spoons”, which suggests that only a grenade had exploded in the scene.
The pump squad recovered the two hand grenades that remained, apparently by an anterior tenant, in a underground parking storage unit in the complex in the Bay Street 800 block on the night of July 17 and took them to the Training Academy of the Bischailuz Center to be “destroyed and rendered,” Luna said.
The next day, one of the grenades exploded when the technicians handled them in the parking lot.
The explosion was the deadliest incident for the department in more than 150 years, killing three veterans of the department: Dots. Joshua Kelley-Eklund, Victor Lemus and William Osborn.
The bomb squad technicians had transferred the explosives and told the city police that believed that the devices were inert, according to a search warrant obtained by The Times this week.
Luna said there was no evidence that the detectives had tried to cut a grenade before the explosion, a theory that had occurred in recent days.
“I'm being very cautious about what I say,” he said.
The authorities registered a ship docked in Marina del Rey on Monday and the storage boxes on Tuesday and Wednesday that the sources of the law told the Times that are linked to a person who previously served in the United States army.
Researchers are still launching a wide network for potential suspects, Luna said.
“Each way is looking at each person, each direction,” he said. “When we have more information, we will publish it … I am not ready to discuss here and now any name of anyone who can be people of interest or anything of that nature.”
The findings of the ATF are preliminary, but the Sheriff's department expects the final analysis to be ready in about 45 days, Luna said.
Luna added that he has requested an independent review of the department's standards when it comes to getting rid of explosive devices, and plans to consult the ATF about future policy and practice decisions.
He has also ordered psychological visits for all personnel involved.
“We are going to change this, we will see everything we can,” Luna said. “We need to know what happened. We owe it to families … I never want this to happen again.”
Luna and Cooper implored residents to report any explosive device that can find the authorities as the investigation continues, but said there is no direct danger to the community.
“We use drones, we wear cubes trucks to search for trees, we look much further and we didn't do it once,” said Cooper. “If you find something that looks like a grenade or an explosive device or just an unknown object, contact the police.”
Any person with information can communicate with the Sheriff Homicide Office at (323) 890-5500 or the direct line of Punta ATF (888) 283-8477.
