LA coroner orders rare inquest in case of teen shot in back running from deputies

The first coroner’s inquest in Los Angeles in over 30 years will be conducted over the officer-involved death of an 18-year-old.

The case in question involves the killing of Andres Guardado Pineda in Gardena, Calif. The young man was pronounced dead at the scene after being shot in the back five times by a sheriff deputy officer during an incident in which Guardado had allegedly pulled a hand gun, according to CNN.

In a new statement, the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner said it has hired a former Court of Appeals justice to investigate “the circumstances, manner, and cause of death” involved in the incident. The inquest, which will be public, is set to begin Nov. 30

“The Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner is committed to transparency and providing the residents of Los Angeles County an independent assessment of its findings in this case,” said Jonathan Lucas, Los Angeles County’s Chief Medical Examiner-Coroner. “An inquest ensures that our residents will have an independent review of all the evidence and findings of our office and of the cause and manner of death of Mr. Guardado.”

CNN reported Lucas released an autopsy report to the public in July for the sake of transparency after Guardado’s family had complained about a lack of information from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. The report showed the cause of death to be multiple gunshot wounds and the manner of death to be homicide.

“I believe that government can do its part by being more timely and more transparent in sharing information that the public demands and has a right to see,” Lucas said.