Armando Garcia-Muro: Teenager Killed By LA Sheriffs As They Shot A Dog

Armando Garcia-Muro in an undated photo. (Source)

September 6, 2021 ~ By Shari Rose

Garcia-Muro was 17 years old when LASD deputies shot him at a Palmdale apartment complex

On June 22, 2017, Los Angeles County Sheriffs’ Department received a complaint about loud music at an apartment complex in Palmdale. Sergeant James Dillard and deputy Victor Ekanem entered a carport where they found Armando Garcia-Muro and others sitting around and hanging out with a dog.

The deputies allege that they went to pet the dog in a friendly way, but it bit one of them. One of the residents sitting down then went to chain up the dog. The deputies went back to take photos of the dog to potentially charge the owner or put down the animal.

Scene where Armando Garcia Muro was shot and killed

The outdoor carport in Palmdale where the two Los Angeles sheriff’s deputies shot and killed Armando while trying to kill a dog that belonged to one of the residents. (Source)

However, the dog broke free of his chain and began charging them. Armando got up to try to control or protect the animal, and the deputies started firing. They fired six times at close range, and a ricocheting bullet hit the teenager in the chest.

Armando Garcia-Muro died at the hospital. The eldest of four children, Armando was going to be a highschool senior in the fall.

LASD labels Armando a “suspect” after the shooting

Armando Garcia-Muro in an undated photo. (Source)

Offensively, the LASD put out a press release about the shooting, and identified Armando as “suspect.” The teenager was not a suspect in any crime. Armando was an innocent bystander who was shot to death while Dillard and Ekanem attempted to kill a dog. The animal was taken to a veterinarian’s office and was soon put down due to its injuries.

As per usual, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office found Dillard and Ekanem justified in the killing. No charges or reprimands for the officers.

Armando’s family filed a wrongful death lawsuit and alleged that the two officers delayed giving her son medical attention as they figured out how to explain the shooting. It appears that the suit is still in litigation.

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Amber Alcantar, Armando’s aunt, said the teenager tried to save the animal because “the cops started shooting at the dog. He put his life on the line for an animal that wasn’t even his.”

In the aftermath of the shooting, Armando’s mother told reporters that her son loved dogs.

This story about Armando Garcia-Muro is part of a larger project that looks at recent police shootings of Latinos in Los Angeles.

Shari Rose

Owner of Blurred Bylines

Shari Rose created Blurred Bylines to help bring stories from marginalized perspectives and experiences into the national conversation. A former journalist and current freelance SEO specialist, she does her best to combine both in her stories at BB. The articles she writes typically involve individuals or social movements that are uniquely American in their struggles, triumphs, and challenges. 💖💜💙