(L.A.) Johanna Gonzalez, 17, Died at a Police Department
Case Number: 2024-04991
Los Angeles County is reporting the death of a 17-year-old Hispanic female that occurred at a police department in the City of Industry.
The coroner’s office identified the teen as Johanna Gonzalez of La Puente. Born in South Carolina.
Manner of Death: Suicide
Cause of Death: Gunshot Wound of Head
RIP JOHANNA GONZALEZ (September 11, 2006 – March 24, 2024)
Formal pronouncement of death was made on Sunday at 7:55 p.m.
The sheriff’s department stated that the death was from a self-inflicted gunshot and would later release the CCTV footage.
LAUSD’s initial narrative was that the girl was having an altercation with a sheriff’s deputy when she grabbed his firearm from the holster. There was a struggle over the gun and she somehow shot herself dead.
Video later released showed that the interaction lasted only five or so seconds. In light of how easily the victim was able to get the gun, it is unclear as to whether the deputy was using an approved holster. The deputy’s name is still unknown.
The teen was in the foster care of her aunt and uncle in the City of Industry. Her father is deceased and her mother lives in El Salvador.
The shooting happened at around 7:40 p.m. at the sheriff’s station located at 150 North Hudson Avenue.
Situational awareness by the deputy could have prevented the teen from getting close enough to attempt the grab.
Department policy should mandate secure holsters and regular retention checks to avoid such failures.
The teen’s ability to easily and quickly grab and fire the gun was not due to her knowledge or skill—it was the direct result of equipment failures, inadequate safeguards, and a lack of proper training or protocol adherence by the deputy and the department. This was a preventable incident caused by systemic negligence.
Law enforcement agencies are expected to use Level 2 holsters in high-risk settings (like a sheriff’s station lobby). Failure to do so could breach the department’s duty of care to the public and its own officers.