The family of a Compton police officer who was ambushed by a gunman over the weekend have shared a graphic image just moments after she was shot.
Two Los Angeles County deputies were wounded by a gunman, and their families approved the release of footage showing the graphic moment, FOXLA correspondent Bill Melugin shared on Twitter.
In the image, a female deputy was standing moments after she was shot with across her face and the front of her shift. A male deputy is seen on the ground with a blood-soaked hand with a gun on the ground in front of him.
“I’m told female deputy was shot through jaw, still radioed for help & applied tourniquet to male deputy’s wounds. Both stable now,” Mr Melugin reported.
The two cops – a 31-year-old mother and a 24-year-old male – were shot at close range at 7pm on Saturday in Compton, California. Although they were shot multiple times during the ambush while their vehicle was parked, the officers were able to radio for help.
Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department released a surveillance video of the ambush, and it showed a lone gunman shooting through the passenger window of the deputies’ vehicle "without warning or provocation," according to the department.
Sheriff Alex Villanueva said both deputies were out of surgery and expected to survive, which he called a “double miracle”.
As of Monday, the gunman remained on the loose.
The department has offered an $100,000 reward for information that could lead to an arrest. Officers only have a “very, very generic description” of the shooter to go on, officials added.
“The suspect is described as a male Black 28-30 years-old, wearing dark clothing. He was last seen northbound on Willowbrook Avenue in a black 4-door sedan,” the department said in a Facebook post.
The office has cautioned the public from spreading information on Twitter about who the gunman could potentially be, as they said posts identifying the alleged shooter had the wrong person.
“Currently, there is a social media post that is being circulated which identifies a male out of the Los Angeles area as the suspect responsible for the ambush of our 2 deputies yesterday. This is ERRONEOUS information and there are no named or wanted suspects at this time,” the office read.
The shooting on Saturday happened hours after hundreds of demonstrators took to the streets to protest the death of Dijon Kizzee, who died during a police shooting with the department.
Officers with the county have faced criticism for police brutality and racism from the public. But it was unclear if the protests were related to the shooting later that evening.
“Of course, there’s an important conversation going on about policing in this country, but these are folks who put their lives on the line for us, and we will find justice for them,” Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said on CNN Sunday.
