'Heart-Wrenching' Video Shows LA Deputy Aiding Hurt Partner

Sheriff calls it a 'double miracle' that 2 deputies, both shot in head, are now in stable condition
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Sep 15, 2020 8:07 AM CDT
Ambushed LA Deputy Seen Helping Partner in New Video
A screenshot from security camera video shows a gunman walking up to sheriff's deputies and opening fire without warning or provocation in Compton, Calif., on Saturday.   (Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department via AP)

In what the Los Angeles County sheriff is calling a "double miracle," two rookie Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies who were ambushed and shot in the head in Compton on Saturday night are now in stable condition after surgery at a Lynwood hospital. A newly surfaced surveillance video, meanwhile, is putting their bravery after the shooting front and center. In the footage shown on KABC, the 31-year-old female deputy, who's bleeding from her own injuries, can be seen trying to apply a tourniquet to her 24-year-old male partner's arm and radio for help as they hide behind a nearby column. "She helped the other wounded deputy, got on the radio, provided medical care, got him to a place of safety [because] they didn't know if there was another attack coming their way," LA County Sheriff Alex Villanueva says, adding that the video was "heart-wrenching," per KTLA.

Villanueva has thanked both President Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden for reaching out to his department in the aftermath of the attack. "Thank you for setting partisanship aside," the sheriff tweeted late Sunday. In addition to the $100,000 reward being offered by the sheriff's department for information leading to the shooter, Villanueva says two private donors have also come forward with $75,000; in addition, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority is adding $25,000 to the original reward. But Villanueva is also making a specific appeal to one particular basketball star who's been outspoken on social justice and Black Lives Matter issues. "I'd like to see LeBron James step up to the plate and double [the reward]," the sheriff said, per KABC. Meanwhile, a GoFundMe to raise money for the deputies and their families had brought in more than $290,000 as of Tuesday morning. (More Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X