It’s hard to believe that on Saturday, September 12th — just over a week ago — came the shocking news that two, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputies had been shot point-blank in Compton, while they sat in their police cruiser.
As my colleague Mike Miller first reported, L.A. Fox 11’s Bill Melugin tweeted breaking updates on the officers’ condition, from a press conference with L.A. County Sheriff Alex Villanueva:
“Sheriff Villanueva says one deputy is a 31-year-old mom of a 6-year-old boy, other is a 24-year-old male. Says both deputies are out of surgery with multiple gunshot wounds & critical. Says this is now a growing trend of police being targeted in current climate.”
You likely saw videos of Black Lives Matters members’ despicable reaction to the shootings: attempting to block the entrance to the hospital where the two, critically-injured officers were fighting for their lives.
Luckily, they both were upgraded to stable condition, as they continued to heal from their injuries. Then just under a week ago, my colleague Nick Arama shared several stories on the female Sheriff’s Deputy, including one inviting RedState readers to “Say Her Name” in tribute to her bravery. Both pieces include several photos of Deputy Claudia Apolinar, who graduated from the police academy in 2019.
USA Today and the Associated Press reported last week on further improvement in the male officer’s condition:
On Thursday, Sheriff Alex Villanueva told ABC News that one of the deputies had been released from the intensive care unit and would soon be released from the hospital. He will need more surgeries on his arm, ABC reported.
Meanwhile, KABC shared new photos Monday evening that the Sheriff’s Department released of Apolinar recovering from surgery in the hospital. (Note: her name has not been officially released.)
Photos released of female #sheriff‘s deputy #recovering in the hospital after an ambush shooting in #Compton. https://t.co/RuWGOui9jR
— ABC7 Community (@abc7community) September 21, 2020
And now, there’s some much-welcomed news on how they’re doing.
Late Monday, the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department shared some “great news” about the Deputies. The Division Chief of the East Patrol Division for the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department, Patrick Jordan, shared the update that they’ve been released from the hospital.
He wrote:
“Great! They are lucky to be alive. #ComptonAmbush #SupportPolice #Victims #Survivors #FundPolice #Compton #LAMetro #Heroes”
The tweet read:
“Great News . . . both of our Deputies from the #ComptonAmbush have been discharged from the hospital and are resting. They both have a long road to recovery and #LASD appreciates your continued prayers and all the support. #LASDStrong”
Great! They are lucky to be alive. #ComptonAmbush #SupportPolice #Victims #Survivors #FundPolice #Compton #LAMetro #Heroes https://t.co/YRljVpN528
— LASD Chief Patrick Jordan (@LASDJordan) September 22, 2020
Funny thing, though: still no word from the Lakers’ LeBron James on whether he’s planning to take up L.A. County Sheriff Alex Villanueva’s challenge to match donations for a reward for info that helps police arrest and convict those responsible.
In case he’s curious, the reward’s current tally, as of Monday night, has ballooned to $300,000, USA Today/AP reports.
