Det. William Osborn: Memorial service held for LA County deputy killed in explosion

Memorial service for LASD Detective William Osborn

A funeral was held Tuesday for fallen LASD Detective William Osborn, who was killed at a training facility explosion in East LA.

LOS ANGELES - A funeral service was held Tuesday for the first of three Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department detectives who died when a grenade, thought to be inert, exploded at a sheriff's facility in East Los Angeles.

Det. William Osborn, a 33-year-veteran of the department, was remembered by friends and family during a service at Friends Church in Yorba Linda.

Remembering a fallen hero

What they're saying:

"I can't imagine the loss that all of you are experiencing," Sheriff Robert Luna said during the service.

"Bill's job required him to regularly train and care for his explosive dog Kimber, but if you asked him, Bill would say he wasn't really a pet guy. What he wouldn't tell you is that when he was relaxing at home he could be seen with his family cat Gypsy sleeping on his lap, and if the cat wasn't around, the family dog, a 160-pound Cane Corso named Zeus would try to do the same."

Luna said Osborn was someone who would show up when he was needed and called him "one of our best" when referring to the elite Arson-Explosives Detail of the sheriff's Special Enforcement Bureau.

Osborn was one of five children and grew up in rural upstate New York. He had six children.

Osborn's youngest brother, Tom, choked up as he recalled how when he and Osborn were kids they shared a room and bunk bed and were big fans of professional wrestling.

"We both enjoyed watching it together," he said. "What I didn't, however, enjoy was when Bill got inspired by one of these guys and enjoyed using me as his training dummy, practicing his arm bars, half Nelsons, full Nelsons and the dreaded figure-four leg lock."

Osborn's daughter Rachael recalled how, while attending the funeral of Osborn's pediatrician brother Mark a few months ago, Osborn leaned over and said he would never have as many people at his funeral.

"Little did he know just how appreciated he was as well," she said.

Osborn's wife, Detective Shannon Valenzuela, said her heavy heart was "both broken and full."

"Broken because I lost the love of my life, my person, my soulmate, the father of my children, and full because of the love and beautiful memories that he gave us."

"There is a dark silence now that feels unbelievably unbearable," she said. "But I carry him with me in every breath that I take."

The backstory:

Osborn was killed in an explosion that occurred around 7:30 a.m. on July 18 at the Biscailuz Regional Training Center. Sheriff's detectives Joshua Kelley-Eklund and Victor Lemus also died in the blast.

Although a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives-led investigation continues, it's believed the blast involved one of two grenades that were seized from a Santa Monica apartment complex storage bin a day before the deadly explosion.

It remains unclear what caused the single grenade to detonate, but Luna said the investigation determined that only one device exploded.

The whereabouts of the second grenade remain unknown. Luna said the department has begun an internal investigation into the handling of the situation.

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Osborn's history in law enforcement

Osborn graduated from the sheriff's academy in February 1992, according to the department.

He was initially assigned to Men's Central Jail and then transferred to Pico Rivera Station in 1998 as a patrol deputy. He transferred to the Industry Station in 2001 and was promoted to the rank of detective, where he received commendations for his work recovering stolen vehicles.

After working as a detective for over a decade, handling over 100 cases each year, Osborn was transferred to Training Bureau as an Emergency Vehicle Operations Center Instructor in 2016. The department credited his love of investigations, drawing him back to being a detective.

Osborn joined the Special Enforcement Bureau as an arson and explosives investigator in 2019, handling cases involving high-dollar loss fires in residential properties, as well as fires involving the loss of life.

He was described in an obituary as "one of tenured bomb technicians regularly relied upon when faced with a new challenge. He has broad range of experience and could be relied upon to provide relevant insight on broad range of subjects."

Osborn is survived by his wife, Det. Shannon Rincon, as well as four sons and two daughters.

What's next:

Funeral services for Kelley-Ecklund are to be held Thursday at Grace Baptist Church at 22833 Copper Hill Drive in Santa Clarita.

The third funeral, for Lemus, is scheduled for Aug. 12 at Calvary Chapel Chino Hills at 4201 Eucalyptus Ave. in Chino.

The Source: Information for this story came from City News Service and previous FOX 11 reports.

Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department East Los Angeles Yorba Linda