One of two deputies shot in Compton attack released from hospital
One of two deputies shot in an attack Saturday night in Compton has been released from the hospital, officials said.
“He has a long road ahead for recovery. But he’s not alone,” Sheriff Alex Villanueva said on Twitter. “We, as a community, are in this together.”
Both deputies — a 31-year-old woman and a 24-year-old man who have not been identified by the Sheriff’s Department — were shot in the head Saturday evening while sitting in their patrol car near the Compton Metro station. They underwent surgery over the weekend and were expected to recover. The deputy was released Wednesday.
The female deputy remains in the intensive care unit and is still undergoing treatment for her injuries, the sheriff said.
Authorities have offered no motive for the attack.
Two L.A. County deputies are recovering after being shot at close range. How did they survive?
The shooting was captured on surveillance video. It shows a figure in dark clothes casually walk up a pathway near the Compton Blue Line station, approaching the deputies’ parked patrol car from behind.
The person draws closer and turns to face the passenger door of the black-and-white patrol SUV, his steps quickening. Inches from the window, he raises a gun, opens fire and runs back the way he came.
Moments later, the passenger door opens and a deputy stumbles out, hand on head. The driver’s door opens soon after. On the radio, a shaky voice mutters: “998 Compton Pax.”
Recognizing the code for a deputy-involved shooting, a dispatcher asks: “Just happened?”
“Compton Pax, deputies down,” the voice says, almost unintelligibly. “Compton Pax 998.”
Sheriff’s response to the attack on two deputies has alarmed some activists, lawmakers and watchdogs, who fear the aggressive rhetoric is inflaming tensions.
The female deputy, mother to a 6-year-old boy, managed to get out of the cruiser and help her partner hide behind a concrete pillar for safety, not knowing whether the gunman was still in the area.
She then applied a tourniquet to her partner’s arm, which was bleeding.
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