Former L.A. County deputy sentenced to 30 days in jail for fatal 2019 shooting
A former Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy will serve 30 days in jail in connection with a fatal 2019 shooting in which authorities fired more than 30 rounds into the back of a moving car, under the terms of a plea deal reached Friday in a downtown L.A. courtroom.
Andrew Lyons pleaded no contest to assault with a firearm and assault under color of authority in the killing of 24-year-old Ryan Twyman outside a Willowbrook apartment complex in June 2019. The case marks the first time in roughly two decades that an L.A. County law enforcement officer has been sentenced to jail or prison for an on-duty shooting.
Lyons also was placed on two years’ probation. He must give up his certification as a peace officer in California under the terms of the deal, meaning he can never serve as a law enforcement officer in the state again.
The former deputy initially was charged with voluntary manslaughter and assault with a semiautomatic firearm against Lyons in 2022, nearly three years after he and another deputy, Christopher Muse, shot and killed Twyman. Muse was not charged in the shooting but received a 30-day suspension.
Four L.A. County sheriff’s deputies were fired and others were disciplined after a dispute involving members of a gang known as the Industry Indians.
Lyons would have faced a maximum of 11 years in state prison if convicted of voluntary manslaughter. If he violates his probation, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Eleanor Hunter said he could be sent to prison for more than 12 years.
The courtroom was packed with dozens of Twyman’s relatives and supporters, many wearing shirts emblazoned with his face or jackets that read “Black Lives Matter.†A handful of current and former deputies also sat stoically in the room as Lyons agreed to the deal. Twyman’s family clapped loudly as Lyons was handcuffed by two of his former colleagues and led out of the room.
“What you did, you hunted my son down, you and your rogue partner … you assassinated him,†said Twyman’s father, Charles. “You didn’t give him a chance to raise his hands.â€
Weeks before the fatal confrontation, gang investigators seized illegal weapons from Twyman’s home while searching for him, according to a Sheriff’s Department summary of the incident issued at the time. They eventually located a Kia Forte that Twyman was known to drive near an apartment complex on 132nd and San Pedro streets, authorities said.
Video of the shooting shows Lyons and Muse approaching Twyman’s parked car with guns drawn. Twyman began driving in reverse and struck Muse with an open door.
Lyons and Muse both opened fire and continued shooting as the car rolled backward and came to a stop, according to the recording. Lyons then grabbed a rifle from his patrol car, took up a position behind a nearby parked truck and continued shooting.
In all, the deputies fired 34 rounds at the car. Twyman was hit multiple times and died. He left behind three sons. A passenger in the car was not injured.
Lyons did not speak during the hearing. In a statement, attorneys Nicole Castronovo and Michael Rains claimed the prosecution was motivated by the politics of Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. George Gascón, who swept into office after a campaign focused on criminal justice reform and political accountability in 2020.
“Mr. Lyons has reluctantly agreed to accept a plea in this matter and to end his 15-year law enforcement career out of his belief that it is in the best interest of his family,†the statement read.
Lyons’ attorneys — who last year waived their client’s right to a preliminary hearing where they could have challenged the evidence against him — also said the evidence in the case showed the former deputy “did not kill Mr. Twyman.â€
An autopsy, however, showed both Lyons and Muse fired rounds that proved fatal, according to Deputy Dist. Atty. Kristopher Gay, the lead prosecutor on the case.
Gascón called Friday’s result “historic†and said despite the short jail term that Lyons will serve, he believed the mere fact that a law enforcement officer faced consequences for an unjustified killing would send a message.
“There is never going to be enough to bring Ryan back,†he said. “This individual has been convicted of two felonies. He will never be able to be a peace officer in the state of California again.â€
It’s taken two years for the case of Yen Liu, an L.A. County sheriff’s deputy who shot an unarmed man in the back, to reach the D.A.’s office.
The shooting appeared to violate a Sheriff’s Department policy against shooting at moving vehicles. Under that policy, deputies are not allowed to shoot at a moving car unless the occupants are threatening a “department member or another person present with deadly force.†The moving vehicle itself does not constitute a deadly threat under the policy.
L.A. County settled a wrongful-death lawsuit brought by Twyman’s family for $3.9 million in 2020. At the time, then-Sheriff Alex Villanueva said one of the deputies involved in the shooting had been terminated but did not specify which one. Gascón confirmed Friday that Lyons was fired.
The Sheriff’s Department said in a statement that it “expects that all deputies will perform their duties to the highest moral and ethical standards and will hold individuals accountable when actions are not aligned with our values and practices. The Sheriff’s Department is responsible for maintaining the safety of our communities and will not tolerate individuals who violate the public’s trust and tarnish the LASD badge which represents the hard-working commitment that deputies make.â€
Convictions of law enforcement officers in on-duty shootings remain rare in L.A. County. The last major trial in an on-duty killing in the area also involved an L.A. County sheriff’s deputy, Luke Liu, who was acquitted of manslaughter charges in the 2016 slaying of Francisco Garcia.
Twyman’s mother, Tommy, called the sentence “bittersweet†and the victim’s father suggested in court that the punishment was too light.
“My grandkids are asking me, asking my wife, what happened to my daddy, why did he have to die. ... When they ask me what happened to the man who killed him, I’m gonna have to say he got probation,†Twyman’s father said. “There’s no victory here.â€
Melina Abdullah, co-founder of Black Lives Matter L.A., said that while Twyman’s family wanted Lyons to face a stiffer punishment for taking a life, they also understand convicting police officers is difficult and the deal guaranteed that the ex-deputy will never carry a badge and gun in California again.
“As much as they wanted him to be punished more severely, they also wanted the community to be safe from Andrew Lyons,†she said, “and that’s what we won today.â€
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