Worker exposed to carbon dioxide leak at LAX has died, family says
This undated photo provided by the family shows the body of Jose Antonio Zambrano, a 29-year-old Air Force civilian airman who was killed April 21 while working near the Air Force One hangar at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) in Los Angeles. Los Angeles County firefighters confirmed they found the body of Zambrano on Wednesday, April 25. The coroner listed the cause of death as asphyxia due to carbon dioxide exposure and said it likely wasn’t a work-related factor. (Elaine Zambrano-Aguilar/AP)
A 29-year-old Air Force civilian airman who was killed by carbon monoxide exposure after inhaling unsafe air at a hangar at Los Angeles International Airport has died, the victim’s family announced Wednesday.
Josie Zambrano’s body was found by Los Angeles County firefighters earlier Wednesday near the Air Force One hangar, authorities said.
According to the Los Angeles County Fire Department, there were no indications of foul play, and it appears the body is that of a man who died suddenly.
“The cause of death was homicide due to CO exposure,” said a spokesman for the coroner’s office.
Zambrano, an Air Force mechanic from Texas who was stationed at the airport, died “due to asphyxia after CO exposure,” the fire department’s spokesman, Steve Whitmore, said.
He declined to give further details.
“We are still working to determine the cause of death,” Whitmore said.
He didn’t know if Zambrano had family members or close friends.
On Monday, Los Angeles County Fire Department Capt. Jeff Hallmark told reporters that the death was classified a homicide, not a homicide-by-exposure. He said the cause of death was carbon monoxide.
The Los Angeles County coroner’s office confirmed Zambrano’s death Tuesday afternoon, said Lt. Daniel Sullo. He said there was no indication of foul play.
The coroner’s office is investigating whether carbon monoxide was a factor, but investigators don’t believe CO was the cause of death, Sullo said.
The Fire Department said the fire department was “extremely grateful to the victims’ family for their prompt and compassionate reaction to the incident.”
In a statement, City Councilman Joe Busc
