The callous reactions of some racial justice advocates to an ambush shooting of two Los Angeles County sheriffs’ deputies has provoked outrage.
The video: Surveillance footage released by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department shows a man walking up from behind the deputies’ patrol car at around 7 p.m. on Saturday near a Metro rail station in Compton, California.
- The unidentified man pulls out a gun and fires several times into the front seat area from the passenger side before running from the scene.
- The Los Angeles Times reported one of the deputies was shot in the face and the other was shot in the head.
The two victims underwent surgery after being taken to St. Francis Medical Center in nearby Lynwood and are currently in stable condition, according to multiple reports.
The reaction:
Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva and other local and national leaders have condemned the shooting, which came amid protests against racism and policing in the Los Angeles area and nationwide.
- President Donald Trump on Saturday night shared the video of the ambush on Twitter and commented: “Animals that must be hit hard.”
- Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden on Sunday tweeted: “This cold-blooded shooting is unconscionable and the perpetrator must be brought to justice.”
But some critics of law enforcement responded in ways that conservative commentators like Josie Glabach found “reprehensible.”
One apparent witness, whose Instagram handle is “beno_thegreat,” reacted live from the scene by laughing and celebrating the attack.
A handful of protesters gathered at the hospital while the wounded deputies were being treated inside and shouted comments like, “I hope they f*cking die.”
Jose Ometeotl, the city manager of Lynwood said on Sunday in an Instagram post, “Chickens Come Home to Roost.”
Meanwhile, on social media, some Black Lives Matter supporters expressed indifference to the act of brutality.
Erica Gordon, the communications director for the grassroots organization United Left, tweeted: “I’m not going to sit here and pretend to care about what happened last night when LA cops literally have a gang OF COPS in Compton called The Executioners that have tattoos of nazi skulls with AKs.”
