The FBI said Friday they will review the death of Andres Guardado, an 18-year-old man who was fatally shot by a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department deputy last month.
“FBI Los Angeles is aware of the death of Andres Guardado and will review all available evidence to determine what federal response is warranted,” the agency said in a statement.
The case has been marred by controversy and has sparked protests amid an outcry against racial injustice and police brutality.
Guardado was shot five times in the back by a sheriff’s deputy, independent and official autopsies found. The official autopsy findings were released by the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner last Friday, in defiance of a security hold placed by Sheriff Alex Villanueva.
Chief Medical Examiner-Coroner Dr. Jonathan Lucas defended his decision to release the information, indicating “the public’s right to know” was important.
In response, Villanueva criticized the “unprecedented” decision to release the autopsy saying it was a political move that “has the potential to jeopardize the investigation.”
The move came after the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors called on a a “timely and independent investigation” into the teen’s death.
Guardado was fatally shot in an alley between two buildings in the 400 block of West Redondo Beach Boulevard near Gardena June 18 after an encounter with two deputies.
