Witness to the disappearance of Francisco Nunez shot by LASD deputies

Nunez was last seen by several in LASD custody, though LASD denies it. He was found dead 5 days later.

A 14-year-old boy was shot by Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputies on Tuesday in the city of Commerce. The teenager is one of the last people to see Francisco Nunez, a Lancaster man who was found dead in an alleyway after being taken into custody by deputies alive. 

In a statement, the sheriff’s department reported that deputies from the East Los Angeles station were patrolling in the city of Commerce. 

According to the sheriff’s department, the deputies located a stolen vehicle as they drove along Atlantic Boulevard. The vehicle stopped, two people exited it, and fled on foot. LASD set up a containment zone and located one of the people on a nearby roof.  The person was then taken into custody, per the department’s account. 

The sheriff’s department says that, as deputies were in the process of breaking down the containment zone they spotted the second person from the vehicle – the 14-year-old boy. The department says that deputies “contacted” the child, and shot him several times. According to his family, who have started a GoFundMe, the 14-year-old sustained wounds to his chest and leg.

The teenager remains hospitalized in critical but stable condition, according to family members and the sheriff’s department. 

LASD responded to a request for comment by referring a reporter to previously posted Nixle alerts.

The young man was one of several witnesses who spoke to LA Public Press in May about the mysterious disappearance of Francisco Nunez. He and four others described seeing Nunez beaten and placed into handcuffs by deputies. The sheriff’s department denies that Nunez was ever in custody. Five days after Nunez was last seen, his body was discovered about 250 feet from where deputies had initially made contact with him. 

Nunez’s cause of death was ruled to be from the “effects of methamphetamine”. However, the autopsy report doesn’t account for bruising and several markings that appear to be burns that present throughout his body, clearly visible in photos of his body post-autopsy reviewed by LA Public Press.

Nunez’s death was investigated by LASD homicide detectives Rivas and Leopoldo Sanchez. Sanchez has been identified as an associate of the Banditos deputy gang. He told LAist that he “took a lot of pride” in a controversial station logo that celebrates police violence, and denied being a member of the gang. 

Since Nunez’s death, members of his family have documented persistent harassment by members of the department. An LA Public Press reporter was pulled over shortly after meeting with witnesses to Nunez’s detainment in East Los Angeles, including the 14-year-old who was later shot. 
The East Los Angeles station is responsible for patrolling unincorporated East Los Angeles, as well as the city of Commerce. The East LA station also has a long history of deputy gangs operating out of it – including the Banditos.