The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department is investigating the sudden deaths of four former and current employees who died of apparent suicide in the last 24 hours.
One of them was a retired employee and three others were current employees. They were described as three men and one woman.
Several senior officials told the NBC4 I-Team they cannot remember the last time so many employees died in such a short period of time.
Sheriff Robert Luna released a statement that read in part:
Get top local stories in Southern California delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC LA's News Headlines newsletter.
"We are stunned to learn of these deaths, and it has sent shockwaves of emotions throughout the department as we try and cope with the loss of not just one, but four beloved active and retired members of our department family."
"I have the deepest concern for our employee’s well-being, and we are urgently exploring avenues to reduce work stress factors to support our employees work and personal lives.”
The Los Angeles medical examiner's office will be investigating each death independently.
