A longtime Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputy was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of murder, attempted murder and gun charges in connection with a fatal Father's Day shooting in Sylmar.
Deputy Francisco Gamez, 41, has been booked into the 77th Street Jail and is being held on $4 million bail, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.
Gamez is suspected of having been involved in the June slaying of Armando Casillas, 38, outside of the victim's parents' home. Gamez was not on duty at the time of the incident.
Shortly after 11 a.m. on June 17, residents flagged down patrol officers in the 14000 block of Beaver Street, where Casillas was found suffering from a gunshot wound. He was transported to a hospital and pronounced dead.
A second victim was shot at but not injured, police said. Investigators said the shooter fired from a car.
"This person is supposed to protect the community," said Joseph Casillas, the victim's brother. "How do you think we feel? We were running around scared. Now, it's even more scary because you lose confidence."
Detectives from the Mission Homicide and Robbery Homicide divisions investigated the case, and are preparing the case for filing with the District Attorney’s Office.
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"It casts a pall over the work that scores of deputy sheriff's do every single day," said LA County Sheriff's Department spokesman Steve Whitmore.
Gamez has been with the department for 17 years and has worked out of West Hollywood since 2005. He has been on paid leave from the Sheriff's Department since July.
