By Stefanie Dazio, AP
California investigators have arrested and charged a man in connection with the shooting of two Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies earlier this month as they sat in their squad car, authorities said Wednesday.
Attempted murder charges were filed against Deonte Lee Murray, 36, District Attorney Jackie Lacey told reporters.
Murray, a resident of the city of Compton, where the shooting happened, was arrested two weeks ago in connection with a separate carjacking and he was expected to be arraigned later Wednesday on charges in both cases. Prosecutors planned to request for bail of $6.15 million.
Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau Capt. Kent Wegener, who provided details about the investigation, did not suggest a specific motive for the attack “other than the fact that he obviously hates policemen and he wants them dead.”
The deputies suffered head wounds in the Sept. 12 ambush and have since been released from the hospital and are recovering. Sheriff Alex Villanueva said, however, that they face further reconstructive surgeries and that their recoveries will be a long process.
Surveillance video showed a person walking toward the patrol car, parked at a Metro rail station and firing a handgun through the passenger-side window. The deputies radioed for help despite their wounds.
The deputies, a 31-year-old woman and 24-year-old man who have not been identified publicly, graduated together from the sheriff’s academy 14 months ago.
Investigators determined that the suspect fled in a black Mercedes Benz and learned that type of vehicle was stolen in a Sept. 1 carjacking in which the driver was shot and wounded. A suspect was identified in the carjacking and photographs were compared to images from the ambush, strengthening a connection to the shooting of the deputies, Wegener said.
On Sept. 15, investigator spotted the suspect driving another vehicle and attempted to stop him. A gun was thrown out before the suspect abandoned the car in the city of Lynwood and fled on foot and was ultimately captured. The black Mercedes was found nearby.
Ballistics testing of the gun discarded during the pursuit showed it was the one used in the attack on the deputies, Wegener said. He also noted that the gun held eight rounds, five short of its capacity, and that five rounds had been fired at the deputies.
Authorities said Murray has a criminal history including convictions for sales and possession of narcotics, firearm possession, receiving stolen property, burglary and terrorist threats. The new complaint includes allegations of association with a criminal street gang.
Compton is among communities near South Los Angeles, an area with a large Black population that has long been a flashpoint for racial tension and mistrust of police.
In recent weeks, demonstrators have marched to protest fatal shootings in the area, where deputies killed a Black man on Aug. 31 and a Black teenager in 2018.
After the ambush, a handful of protesters gathered outside the hospital where the deputies were treated and tried to block the emergency room entrance. Videos from the scene recorded protesters shouting expletives at police and at least one yelling “I hope they … die.”
Wednesday’s announcement of the arrest in the shooting of the deputies followed a separate, seemingly unprovoked assault on another law enforcement officer in Southern California.
A Los Angeles police officer was attacked Saturday night inside the Harbor Community police station in San Pedro.
The assailant was recorded on surveillance video as he knocked the officer to the ground inside the station, pistol-whipped him with his own gun and pointed it at his chest. The officer is recovering from his injuries.
Ballistic testing showed it was the same gun… I’d like to see the data on that. Same model of gun, maybe.
More incriminating circumstantial evidence would be if this guy is about 4’6″, like the suspect in the video.
4’6″? Where do you get that from? Suspect looks at least as tall as the Sheriff’s Ford Explorer which are about 5’8″ tall. From the booking suspect appears to be 5’6″.
Booking No.: 5451347 Last Name: MURRAY First Name: DEONTE Middle Name:
Sex: M Race: B Date Of Birth: 06/02/1984 Age: 34 Hair: BLK Eyes: BRO Height: 506 Weight: 200
Mugshot?
ballistic testing will show an exact groove land micro striation match to a specific barrel.
hahahahaha. Pull the other one. Toolmark comparison is junk science.
Nonsense. There ARE junk sciences in policing- polygraphs, bite impressions (sorta), and some arson forensics- but toolmarks are very well-established. It’s not DNA, but it’s probative.
Listen to the Wrongful Conviction; Junk Science podcasts. You’ll never view any of the popular evidence types the same way again.
http://wrongfulconvictionpodcast.com/
That’s not entirely accurate.
https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/health/a4548/4325797/
Jim, do you not understand ballistics? The barrel of the guns lands and grooves, matched the bullets recovered from the scene of the shooting. It’s really quite simple for those that are not simple minded.
Deonte deserves a fair trial and a first class hanging immediately thereafter.
Its California, if you think he’s going to go away for along time, remember Zarate, who killed Kate Steinle in that shithole of a state…
ahhh but he was a VERY VERY Special PROTECTED class even in cali
he was an illegal alien!
that is why he got off
He got off because the prosecutor charged only first degree murder but no lesser included offenses, such as negligent homicide, nor could she explain the fact that the bullet that struck Steinle ricocheted off the pavement first. The latter fact alone should have signaled to the prosecution that it wasn’t a first degree murder case because it is near impossible to intend to shoot someone with a bank shot.
Sounds like Kamala Harris led the prosecution.
What? color me SHOCKED!
A felon shot those 2 LASD deputies?
Its as if ALL the Firearms laws were being IGNORED by criminals?
You’re mistaken, good sir. Felons don’t have guns here in CA. We have laws. Lots of laws.
No way. This guy had a 13rd magazine. Everyone knows those are illegal in California. The cops planted it. /sarcasm
Bingo.
He is a “non violent” offender. He will be released as per demands by Libertarians Liberals and the Left.
Where do you get that pro-market, pro-second amendment, pro-individual rights Libertarians would allow him to “get off?”
Obviously you have no idea what a Libertarian is.
Libertarians have totally trusted the government when they say “we” are only releasing “non violent” offenders from the jails. Which is why crime is spiking in every major city that releases “non violent” criminals. Libertarians’ celebrate the emptying of jails.
Generally speaking a Libertarian stance on the prison system is that it should not exist for non violent measures. Seeing as how this was about as violent as it gets, that doesn’t make sense to group libertarian views of the justice system with murder. Given the choice between the general public and the state justice system, who will get it right more often than the other? The power of the state in criminal justice scares me, but mob justice scares me even more. I think most libertarians are just simply against the prison system, not actual justice.
to Montana Actual
“The power of the state in criminal justice scares me, but mob justice scares me even more. I think most libertarians are just simply against the prison system”
Because the government refuses to shot or arrest rioters, looters and arsonists, we will mob justice very soon. The question is what side will the Libertarians be on??? Will They side with the government or with the mob???
I have not seen the Libertarians siding with the individual gun and property owners. Right now they seem to be supporting the mob. They called Joe Horn a racist when he shot two home invaders who crossed onto his property.
“Libertarian Party Chair Tweets That Armed Lawyers Defending Their Property Are Criminals”
https://thelibertarianrepublic.com/libertarian-party-chair-tweets-that-armed-lawyers-defending-their-property-are-criminals/
I watched the Debate between the President and sleepy Joe. I didn’t watch the Libertarians. If you or anyone did. Did she say she supports the government shooting rioters, looters and arsonists???
Does she support law abiding citizens shooting these criminals instead???
“As ‘Dumpster Fire’ Debate Rages, Jorgensen Quietly Presents an Alternative”
https://reason.com/2020/09/30/as-dumpster-fire-debate-rages-jorgensen-quietly-presents-an-alternative/
Prisons are actually a new concept. Prisoners were normally executed when captured. In fact it was the Christian concept of mercy, forgiveness, rehabilitation, that promoted better care for inmates. Its also how we got the rules for “humane warfare”.
And latter the Christmas Truce. At least for day or two in 1914.
A lot of libertarians are on here, support the 2A, advocate for the primacy of private property rights and generally are pro freedom.
Should we start pointing out all of the Rino Republicans who support socialist liberal causes? Mitt Romney, John MCain, etc. Should we point out all of the Never Trumpers in the Repiblican party?
Physician, heal thyself!
Wow; Mr. Ferguson reads a lot of ill intent into that short tweet.
“They called Joe Horn a racist when he shot two home invaders who crossed onto his property.” – if no one was home at the neighbor’s house, it was “burglary” not “home invasion”. And Mr. Horn was not only trigger-happy, but criminally stupid for instigating a confrontation with the burglars/trespassers while on the telephone with the dispatcher was telling him not to.
to Serpent_Vision
Thank you for speaking up. Really. You are the kind of Libertarian I’ve been talking about, since I got on TTAG years ago. Libertarians like you are why I say Libertarians don’t believe in private property rights. And they don’t believe in the biblical concept of looking out for your neighbor, or your fellow man.
Telling me its a “burglary” and not a “home invasion”? Wow. I guess the destruction the criminals did looking for valuables means nothing to you. Your Libertarian belief system is worthless. Are you even registered to vote??? Have you voted in your life??? Have you ever done jury duty???
That last one is a trick question. You should think carefully before answering.
fyi
1. “Jonathan Martinez is one of at least 250 people released from Rikers during the coronavirus pandemic who has since been re-arrested, in some cases multiple times”
https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/released-from-rikers-in-covid-measure-man-arrested-4-times-in-3-months/2460035/
2. “Amid COVID-19, California releases some inmates doing time for murder. Advocates push to free more”
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-08-09/covid-19-california-releases-violent-crime-murder-prisoners
3. “Inmate commits murder after being released from jail to prevent spread of coronavirus, sheriff says”
https://www.local10.com/news/local/2020/04/15/inmate-commits-murder-after-being-released-from-jail-to-prevent-spread-of-coronavirus-sheriff-says/
4. “NYC Mayor shocked to hear newly released “empty the jails” inmates commit new crimes”
https://www.newsbreak.com/new-york/new-york/news/1550800712489/nyc-mayor-shocked-to-hear-newly-released-empty-the-jails-inmates-commit-new-crimes
5. “Advocates and Lawmakers Urge Trump Administration to Release Elderly Inmates Vulnerable to Coronavirus”
https://reason.com/2020/03/24/advocates-and-lawmakers-urge-trump-administration-to-release-elderly-inmates-vulnerable-to-coronavirus/
That act was part of his reparations that he somehow deserves. Was he the shooter or did he just have possession of the gun.
No. If he got his reparations, he would be a law-abiding, wealthy entrepreneur by now. The lack of reparations have been holding him back, forcing him into a life of crime. Or maybe he just has no morals.
Yea probably the later portion. Pretty sure, just a guess of course, that reperations would create so much inflation, that million dollars would be equal to a thousand in less than 6 hours after receiving it. Again, just a guess. Platinum might end up being worth more than gold at some point tho…
Reparations? Like black people stealing money from white people? Unheard of!
Bail huh?!? Pocket change for Soros/Bloomturd. I’m shocked! Shocked I tells you he’s named Deonte😃😎😏
I wonder if parents of the proto-hominid(s) will ever realize that giving their sons and daughters such non-standard names most probably helps guide their lifestyle and definately prejudices their application in the 20 inch stack of applications being reviewed by less “tolerant” persons. Maybe neither of these two points should be true, but most people know that they are… ergo, why are some parents today still prematurely punishing their children?
A boy named Sue.
Another antifa soldier.
Notice how biden refuses to condemn antifa.
Gang member with a long history of drug possession and violence, but only hates the police because of ANTIFA….
No more then Trump’s lack of condemnation for the KKK. However Trump did try to get it across that it wasn’t the KKK in the streets burn loot murdering. I’ve decided that it shouldn’t be BLM but DLM because most of the atrocities of law enforcement against the citizens have involved druggies or drunks. Biden sure had a hard time putting law and enforcement in the same sentence.
Release him on his own recognizance. That way the off-duty guys can give him the hugs and affection he is missing.
County is requesting bail over $6 million — I wonder if they would request something on the order of $10,000 if the victims were members of the working class rather than ruling class enforcers?
I realize that things like this hurt your fragile sense of self-worth, and the fact that your life is worth somewhat (well, considerably, in fact) less than that of a ‘ruling class enforcer’ to the rest of society troubles you, but you’re just going to have to get over it. Your fellow men just don’t give YOUR life the same value as they do to those that risk their lives on a daily basis for others, even though they do it for money, and even though they volunteer to do it, and even though other jobs are just as dangerous, if not MORE dangerous.
It’s just the way it is. Society looks up to their ‘ruling class enforcers,’ which I assume means all law-enforcement personnel, simply because Society believes that such ‘enforcers’ are necessary for the continuing existence of order, and that the loss of even one diminishes the ability of Society to maintain itself–unlike 7-11 clerks, or shoe salesmen, or certified accountants, or whatever it is that YOU do. That’s why criminals who mess with cops get high bails, and why those who mess with dry-goods purveyors and chimney-sweeps don’t.
Now, if this really galls you, you could always start some kind of organization to bring attention to the importance of umbrella makers, or baristas, or dental hygienists or barrel-stave cutters, or whatever you are, and raise your status vis-à-vis ‘ruling class enforcers’.
I don’t hold out much hope for it, though. Except for AntiFaBLM and the LunaticRightSovereignCitizen bunch, two faces of the same butt-hurt anarchist coin, the vast majority of the common folks just LOVE their ‘ruling class enforcers,’ and you’re not likely to make much headway.
You should just accept it, and move on. Maybe find a hobby.
“Ballistics testing of the gun — a so-called ghost gun that is homemade and unregistered — that was discarded during the pursuit showed it was the one used in the attack on the deputies, Wegener said.”
Expect the media to focus only on the undocumented firearm and ignore the city’s failure to control crime.
https://apnews.com/article/arrests-los-angeles-shootings-archive-c0eee5a37550850608a1ecd8ecb01811
If President Obama had a bastard son, he would like Deonte Lee Murray.
This article buries the lede.
It was- allegedly- a ‘ghost gun.’
I know that we may not subscribe much importance to that… but it WILL be made important.
That’s what I heard. Sheriff what’s his face is gonna melt down.
So he decides to keep the murder weapon AND he can’t be bothered to put five rounds back in? This guy even fails at being a criminal. Let me guess, they weren’t even hollow points.
He’s not a gun guy, he’s a crime guy. Most likely he doesn’t even know the magazine is reloadable. Like a disposable lighter, use it up and throw it away. Besides, I doubt he got a free box of cartridges when he bought the gun on the black market (or stole it). We’re not dealing with geniuses here.
It’s a good thing he was arrested without injury. Otherwise, he would be another BLM poster boy.
Winner winner…chicken dinner!!!
What did that guy way up there ☝️Say…!!! 🤨
“””FREE KYLE”””
Mostly Peaceful
His attorney will make the argument that shooting the cops was a 1st amendment expression. Watch him walk.
Too bad he didn’t raise that gun up when the cops caught up with him and end him right there.
I blame his mother. I’d blame his father if he had one
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