Relatives of a Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy who was fatally injured when a fire erupted inside a mobile shooting range at the Pitchess Detention Center in 2023 announced a wrongful death lawsuit against the county and sheriff’s department Monday, alleging poor maintenance of the trailer led to the deadly blaze.
Deputy Alfredo “Freddy” Flores, 51, died April 20, 2024, six months after the Oct. 10, 2023, fire inside a 53-foot trailer configured as a mobile shooting range at the jail complex in Castaic.
The Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit filed by the family alleges that a “sudden and vicious fire” erupted inside the trailer, causing “severe internal and external burn-related injuries” to Flores, ultimately causing his death. The suit contends that the county and sheriff’s department failed to properly maintain the training facility, allowing combustible materials such as gunpowder to accumulate inside the trailer.
“He’s supposed to be in his comfort zone inside of a training facility,” family attorney John Carpenter told reporters as a Monday news conference announcing the lawsuit. “And it is only because the county of Los Angeles, the sheriff’s department, failed to comply with multiple orders from Cal/OSHA, failed to comply with the directions of the manufacturer, Inveris, and allowed (the) flammable gunpowder to accumulate over time, which caused his death.
“This never should have happened, it was done with deliberate indifference by the county and it has to stop.”
There was no immediate response to a request for comment from the sheriff’s department.
Flores is survived by his wife, Margarita; children Nathaniel, Kayla, Adrian and Victoria
“Freddy was taken from all of our lives far too soon,” according to a statement from the family. “We miss his love, his attention, his protection, and his sense of humor. This loss has left a tremendous void in our lives, one that our family continues to painfully confront each day.
“… While nothing can fill the void left in our family’s life resulting from Freddy’s untimely death, with this lawsuit, we seek answers to our questions and accountability for the tragic incident that took him from our lives.”
The family also said they want to ensure “that no other deputies lose their lives in this way.”
Flores was with the department for 22 years, serving assignments including the North County Correctional Facility, the sheriff’s Altadena station and the Court Services West Bureau.
The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages.