Detective Joshua Kelley-Eklund, who attended school in Apple Valley, was among three Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department deputies killed during a Friday morning explosion.
The father of seven was killed along with detectives Victor Lemus and William Osborn when an explosive device they were handling at a sheriff’s facility detonated, sheriff’s officials stated.
The blast took place about 7:30 a.m. at the Biscailuz Regional Training Center at 1060 N. Eastern Ave., according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department.
Detective Joshua Kelley-Eklund, a graduate of Apple Valley Christian School, was among three Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department deputies killed during a Friday morning explosion.
The three detectives were assigned to the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department Special Enforcement Bureau’s Arson Explosives Detail.
Sheriff’s officials said the fallen detectives were brave men who served with honor, courage and unwavering commitment to protecting and serving the community.
“Their tragic loss is deeply felt across our Department and the entire Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department,” the agency said in a written statement.
The death of the detectives was reported as the largest loss of life from a single incident for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department since 1857, officials said.
A 2003 Apple Valley Christian School yearbook photo show senior Joshua Raymond Kelley-Eklund. Detective Kelley-Eklund was among three Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department deputies killed during a Friday morning explosion.
Sheriff Robert Luna said, “There are no words to express the pain and sorrow we feel. These heroes represented the best of our Department, exemplifying courage, integrity, and selfless service. This is not only a heartbreaking loss for their families, but for all of us.”
Detective Joshua Kelley-Eklund
In 2003, Joshua Raymond Kelley-Eklund was among 36 graduating seniors from Apple Valley Christian, where he served as the school’s boys varsity volleyball team captain, the Daily Press reported.
As a teenager, he was also recognized for his years of mentoring underprivileged kids as part of the R.O.C.K. Ministry, an outreach of First Assembly of God Church in Hesperia.
Josh Justice told the Daily Press that he attended school with Kelley-Eklund and his older brother, who he called one of his closest friends in high school and college.
“We had a lot of fun memories hanging out at the pool, going to church youth group, playing video games and basketball and overall enjoying being a teenager,” Justice said.
Justice said he and Kelley-Eklund especially liked to make fun of his older brother “as siblings and friends do best.”
“The Kelley-Eklund family as a whole was a blessing to me and our friends,” Justice said.
In the school’s yearbook, Kelley-Eklund shared his goal of earning a degree in criminal justice and becoming a law enforcement officer.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said Kelley-Eklund joined the agency in March 2006 as part of Academy Class 348.
He was later assigned to the Pitchess Detention Center North and North County Correctional Facility.
A Los Angeles County sheriff wears a badge adorned with a black mourning band in honor of fellow officers killed following an explosion at the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Biscailuz Center Academy Training facility on July 18, 2025.
In 2010, Kelley-Eklund transferred to the Lennox Sheriff Station and later became a field training officer at South Los Angeles Station, mentoring several new deputies as trainees.
In 2016, Kelley-Eklund was promoted to Narcotics Bureau detective. He was assigned to the LA Impact Team investigating complex crimes, seizing large quantities of narcotics and assisting in the arrests of murder suspects, sheriff’s officials stated.
In 2022, he became an arson and explosive Investigator with the Special Enforcement Bureau and received his bomb tech certifications, as well as other training accolades.
The sheriff’s departed described Detective Kelley-Eklund as a 20-year veteran of the department, who was known as “an outstanding field training officer who was professional and articulate.”
He is survived by his wife, Jessica Eklund, and the couple’s seven children.
Detective Victor Lemus
On July 1, 2003, Detective Lemus joined the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department as a security assistant.
He completed the Deputy Sheriff Academy as a part of Class 339 in 2003 before he was assigned to Twin Towers Correctional Facility, where he participated in the Baker to Vegas running team.
Lemus was later transferred to the Century Station, where he worked as a senior training officer and detective. While there, he continued running on Baker to Vegas teams as an anchor for some of the most difficult legs of the grueling desert relay race.
He transferred to the Special Enforcement Bureau in 2017, where he was assigned as a K-9 Handler before becoming an arson and explosive investigator last year.
During that time, he received commendations for his ability to mentor and train fellow deputies as well as notable arrests involving career criminals, authorities said.
Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell listens to a Los Angeles County sheriff speaking at a news conference near the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Biscailuz Center Academy Training facility, where fellow officers were killed following an explosion on July 18, 2025.
Detective Lemus is survived by his wife, Sheriff’s Department Detective Nancy Lemus, and three daughters.
Lemus has three sisters who are also in the Department; they are Sergeant Belen Lemus at the Special Victims Bureau, Deputy Perla Lemus at Century Sheriff Station, and Custody Assistant Wendy Lemus of the Population and Management Bureau.
Detective Lemus is also survived by his brothers, Alfredo, Pedro, Juan, and Efren. Also, his brother-in-law, Sgt. Robert Catalan, who is assigned to the Carson Station.
Detective William Osborn
Detective Osborn graduated from the deputy sheriff Academy Class 278 in February 1992 before being assigned to the Men’s Central Jail.
In 1998, Osborn was transferred to the Pico Rivera Station and worked as a patrol deputy. He moved to Industry Station in 2001 and was promoted to detective, where he received commendations for his work recovering stolen vehicles.
After working as a detective for over a decade, handling over a hundred cases each year, Detective Osborn transferred to the Training Bureau as an Emergency Vehicle Operations Center Instructor in 2016.
His love for investigations drew him back to the role as a detective, sheriff’s officials said. Detective Osborn later joined the Special Enforcement Bureau as an arson and explosive investigator in 2019.
As an investigator, Osborn handled cases involving high-dollar loss fires in residential properties, as well as fires involving the loss of life, sheriff’s officials said.
Osborn is survived by his wife, Detective Shannon Rincon, four sons and two daughters.
The investigation
After the explosion, the Los Angeles Police Department’s bomb squad responded to the training facility “to render the devices safe,” Luna said. After several hours, the bomb squad determined there was no further threat in the area.
The cause of the explosion was unknown and multiple agencies were beginning to piece together what happened. Authorities closed off the facility and closed nearby roads as they investigated.
“There’s a lot more that we don’t know than what we do know,” according to Luna. “But our intent is to look at this from the very beginning and figure out what is it exactly that caused this tragic event.”
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said the tragic incident was “horrific” and that “The thoughts of all Angelenos are with all of those impacted by this blast.”
Gov. Gavin Newsom said he has been briefed and that the state has offered full assistance to authorities covering the incident.
Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell embraces a Los Angeles County sheriff after a news conference near the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Biscailuz Center Academy Training facility, where fellow officers were killed following an explosion on July 18, 2025.
Memorial service
Details regarding memorial services for the deputies will be announced in the coming days, sheriff’s officials stated.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department has begun peer support services and chaplain assistance for staff and the families of the fallen deputies.
The families of the fallen deputies ask for privacy and compassion during this tragic time.
“The Department will continue to support the families, and our personnel throughout this difficult time,” sheriff’s officials stated.
Daily Press reporter Rene Ray De La Cruz may be reached at RDeLaCruz@VVDailyPress.com. Follow him on X @DP_ReneDeLaCruz
This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Apple Valley grad among 3 bomb squad deputies killed in L.A. explosion