Nearly two weeks after a Compton station deputy shot and killed Andres Guardado, the 18-year-old’s bereaved parents publicly called on Sheriff Alex Villanueva to release more details about their son’s death.
The couple said they’ve learned little of the circumstances surrounding their son’s June 18 death, which has spurred protests from the community.
“We need more information,” said Cristobal Guardado, who spoke through an interpreter at a news conference Tuesday. “It is very painful for me to be here with no information.”
Guardado described the 18-year-old as a good son. His wife, Elisa, said Andres wanted to become a doctor.
“My son wanted to take care of me. Who’s going to take care of me now?” she asked. “My son left that day with a plan to come back home. He never came home.”
“Today’s the 13th day. We have nothing,” the mother said.
‘Security hold’ on autopsy
The L.A. County Sheriff’s Department placed a “security hold” on Guardado’s autopsy on June 22 as the circumstances surrounding the shooting remained unclear.
Sheriff Alex Villanueva told CNN last week that releasing the results would affect witness testimony.
According to the Sheriff’s Department, one of two officers on patrol in the area saw Guardado speaking to someone inside a vehicle blocking a driveway.
The deputies stopped the vehicle, and Guardado “reportedly looked toward the deputies, reached [for] a handgun and ran,” Capt. Kent Wegener said.
One of the officers fired six rounds and struck the teenager in the upper torso, Wegener said.
Advocates and family members believe the deputy shot Guardado in the back.
The attorney for the deputy, Miguel Vega, told CNN that “Guardado refused multiple commands not to reach for a gun, forcing deputy Vega to fire his weapon in fear for his life.”
Guardado did not apparently use the weapon, according to the Sheriff’s Department.
As the agency continues its probe, the deputy’s attorney said Monday that investigators have not interviewed his client.
On Tuesday, lawyers for the Guardado family demanded transparency from the Sheriff’s Department.
“Exactly why [the deputies] pulled up, why they got out of the car, that’s a question that has not been answered,” lawyer Ryan Casey told reporters.
The attorneys said they’ve arranged a private autopsy, and that they will release the results.
“Because the Sheriff’s Department wants to keep everything in secret, does not want to be transparent, it appears that we’re going to have to be the one to bring you the facts,” Casey said.
