Teen fatally shoots herself in sheriff’s station with deputy’s gun

A teenage girl died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound at an LA sheriff's station on Sunday.

A tragic incident unfolded at the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Industry Station on Sunday evening, March 24, resulting in the death of a girl from a self-inflicted gunshot wound during an altercation with deputies. According to an LASD investigator, the girl, reported to be 17 years old, grabbed a deputy’s gun during the struggle.

Details surrounding the shooting, whether it was accidental or intentional, were not immediately known, and the investigation was ongoing late Sunday.

At approximately 7:40 p.m., a female entered the lobby of the station located at 150 Hudson Avenue, and a confrontation ensued, although the exact reasons for the altercation were not immediately clarified on Sunday, as mentioned by Deputy Graciela Medrano, a department spokesperson.

LASD released a statement stating that the incident did not involve a shooting by deputies but rather a critical incident during the altercation.

In a video broadcast by KTLA, Sheriff’s homicide bureau Lt. Art Spencer explained that the situation began when deputies encountered the female, who was knocking on the lobby's front door. An altercation occurred as deputies approached her, during which the female allegedly accessed the deputy’s firearm from the holster and suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Spencer added that the incident was believed to be linked to a previous family disturbance call that deputies had responded to before the events at the station unfolded. Fortunately, the deputies involved were unharmed, but it remains a tragic situation for all parties involved.

Authorities did not immediately release further information about the female except confirming that she was a female juvenile.

Deputies did not fire any shots, and there were no other reported injuries. The lobby at the station was closed while the investigation continued, although essential phone lines remained operational.

The Industry Station serves several areas, including Industry, La Puente, La Habra Heights, Valinda, East and West Valinda, Bassett/North Whittier, and Hacienda Heights.