Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón announced that former Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputy Andrew Lyons was ordered to stand trial for the on-duty fatal shooting of Ryan Twyman in 2019.
Twyman was unarmed.
“I am obviously very encouraged by the outcome of today’s proceeding,” District Attorney Gascón said. “This has been a very long painful journey for the Twyman family. They have waited far too long for some semblance of justice. I know we are not quite there yet but we are definitely moving in the right direction.”
Under District Attorney George Gascón, the office has filed more officer-involved shooting cases against officers who were on duty than the prior two administrations combined.
Lyons was charged with one felony count of voluntary manslaughter and two felony counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm.
On June 6, 2019, Lyons and another sheriff’s deputy responded to an apartment complex in Willowbrook. Both deputies exited their vehicle and approached a parked vehicle where 24-year-old Ryan Twyman and another victim were seated.
Twyman put the car in reverse and both deputies opened fire. The car came to a stop nearby.
Lyons is accused of retrieving his semiautomatic assault rifle and shooting into the vehicle after it stopped moving. Twyman was killed and his passenger was not physically harmed.
LACDAO
