Los Angeles Times

DEPUTY RELEASED FROM HOSPITAL

He faces a long recovery from attack, sheriff says. Partner is still in intensive care.

- By Richard Winton

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 31year-old woman and a 24year-old man who have not been identified by the Sheriff’s Department — were shot in the head while sitting in their patrol car near the Compton Metro station. They underwent surgery over the weekend and were expected to recover, The male 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.

The shooting was captured on surveillan­ce video. It shows a figure in dark clothes casually walking up a pathway near the A, or 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-andwhite 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.”

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.

She then applied a tourniquet to her partner’s arm, which was bleeding.

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