Former LA County sheriff’s deputy pleads no contest to lesser charges in fatal on-duty shooting

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A former Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy who was charged with voluntary manslaughter in a fatal on-duty shooting of an unarmed man pleaded no contest to lesser charges Friday under a plea deal.

Andrew Lyons, 39, pleaded no contest to assault with a semi-automatic firearm and assault under the color of authority. The District Attorney’s Office said in a statement that noted it was the first conviction in an officer-involved shooting in 20 years in the county.

Lyons will serve 30 days in jail and two years of probation, according to the statement.

“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,” Lyons’ attorneys said in a statement.

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Ryan Twyman, 24, was shot and killed during a June 6, 2019, confrontation with Lyons and another deputy in the parking lot of an apartment building in Willowbrook.

Twyman was being sought for illegal gun possession but wasn’t armed when Lyons and his partner approached a parked Kia with Twyman and a passenger inside, authorities said.

Surveillance video released by the sheriff’s department shows a deputy opening a rear door of the Kia. The driver then backs up and the deputies open fire. The car comes to a stop, and Lyons retrieves a semiautomatic assault rifle from the patrol car and shoots at the Kia.

Twyman died at the scene. The passenger wasn’t hurt.

The shooting was reviewed by the sheriff’s department, and Lyons was fired. He was charged in 2022.

“This conviction sends a strong message that no one is above the law,” District Attorney George Gascón said.