LOS ANGELES– The City of Lynwood, Calif., issued a response Sunday to an Instagram post on its city manager’s account that said the chickens came home to roost in wake of the ambush of two Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies who were sitting in their patrol car on Saturday.
Jose Ometeotl, the city manager, took to his private Instagram account to call any shooting a “wholly unacceptable occurrence in society.” But he said Compton—the location where the deputies were shot—has been “plagued by deputy gangs that inflict fear and violence in the community,” according to Fox 11 reporter Bill Melugin. The reporter said that Ometeotl made his account private after the post.
Ometeotl did not respond to an email late Sunday from Fox News seeking comment.
The shooting, which was caught on CCTV, occurred near a Metro rail station and the victims were a 31-year-old female deputy and 24-year-old male and sparked a massive manhunt and $100,000 reward. Moments after the shooting, the passenger door opens and a deputy stumbles out, hand on head, according to the newspaper. The drivers-side door opens soon after. They underwent surgery on Saturday evening and are expected to survive.
“They performed in an admirable fashion in spite of grave adversity,” Sheriff Alex Villanueva said Sunday during a conversation with local religious leaders. “God bless them, it looks like they’re going to be able to recover.”
He said the wounded female deputy was able to get help for the male deputy by calling in on the police radio despite having been shot. “They’ve survived the worst,” he added.
The City of Lynwood, which is just outside Compton, issued a statement that appeared to be in response to Ometeotl’s post that offered prayers to the deputies and their families.
“There have been comments made today (Sunday) by our City Manager on his personal social media that are his personal opinions and don’t reflect the position of the Lynwood City Council,” the statement read.
The video sparked a reaction from President Trump who responded on Twitter, “Animals that must be hit hard!”
“This cold-blooded shooting is unconscionable and the perpetrator must be brought to justice,” Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden tweeted. “Violence of any kind is wrong; those who commit it should be caught and punished.”
Melugin later posted on Twitter a graphic photo of the officers moments after the shooting after getting permission from the LASD and the officers’ families.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
