Hearing Set For Former Deputy Charged In Fatal On-Duty Shooting

LOS ANGELES, CA — A judge Tuesday set an Aug. 26 hearing to determine if there is enough evidence to allow the criminal case to proceed to trial against a former Los Angeles County sheriff's deputy charged in the fatal on- duty shooting of an unarmed man in Willowbrook nearly three years ago.

Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Eleanor Hunter said she expects the upcoming hearing for Andrew Lyons, now 38, to take about two hours.

Lyons -- who appeared in court and is out of custody -- was charged March 3 with one felony count of voluntary manslaughter and two felony counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm stemming from the June 16, 2019 shooting of Ryan Twyman, 24.

Lyons and another sheriff's deputy responded to an apartment complex in Willowbrook and approached a parked vehicle where Twyman was sitting, with both deputies opening fire after Twyman put the car in reverse, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office.

The car came to a stop nearby, and Lyons allegedly retrieved his semiautomatic assault rifle and shot into the vehicle after it stopped moving, according to the District Attorney's Office.

Twyman was struck by bullets in the neck and upper body and pronounced dead at the scene.

A passenger in the vehicle was not struck by gunfire, but had fragments of glass in his hair and was taken to Harbor-UCLA Medical Center for evaluation.

In a statement posted on Facebook, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said the case was "fully investigated" by the department and that Sheriff Alex Villanueva "initiated an administrative review of the case which resulted in Mr. Lyons being discharged from his position of deputy sheriff on November 8, 2021...

"Sheriff Villanueva remains committed to transparently holding our personnel accountable while providing for the safety and security of the communities we serve. Our condolences to Mr. Twyman's family for their loss," the department's Facebook post continued.

The other deputy was suspended for 30 days, the sheriff said in January.

In 2020, the county paid Twyman's family $3.9 million to resolve a federal lawsuit stemming from the shooting.

After a hearing in May, Lyons' attorney called the prosecution a political move by Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón in an effort to make him appear tough on alleged offenses by law enforcement officers.

"I think that this is a case that is based in politics and not fact," attorney Nicole Castronovo told City News Service then, adding that she believed it was "another example of Gascón using first responders as political pawns without thought for the impact on their lives."

In a statement announcing the case, Gascón said "policing is a difficult and trying job, but it does not excuse anyone from accountability under the law -- especially when a human life is lost."

—City News Service