U.S. lawmakers from both sides of the aisle are speaking out to condemn the Saturday shooting of two
Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies, who were ambushed while sitting in their patrol car.
Florida Congressman Greg Steube (R-Fla.) said the ambush on the officers reflects a “breakdown of society.”
“This is the epitome of the breakdown in society that occurs with the radical left’s agenda. Where is the outrage and the protests for these intentional attacks on our brothers and sisters in blue? Please pray that God heals them!”
Steube wrote on Sunday.
The sheriff’s department said a 24-year-old male deputy and a 31-year-old female deputy were shot in the head and had multiple gunshot wounds.
“The gunman walked up on the deputies and opened fire without warning or provocation,” the sheriff’s department said in a
Twitter post that included a video showing a person walking up to a patrol car and opening fire through the passenger-side window.
A Democrat congressman from California called the shooting “cold-blooded.”
“I am disturbed to hear of a cold-blooded ambush on two LA County sheriff’s deputies. I pray for their full recovery and want the perpetrator brought to justice,” wrote
Rep. Mark Takano (D-Calif.).
Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas), a former U.S. Navy Seal, criticized the recent spate of political and physical attacks on police officers as a contributing factor to the shooting of these officers.
“America please pray for those LA police officers. They were targeted and shot in cold blood. The demonization and lies about law enforcement must stop. There is no ‘justice’ derived from these lies, only resentment turned into violence,”
he wrote.Calls to defund police departments across America have gotten louder since the death of George Floyd in police custody, which sparked nationwide protests against police that have frequently devolved into rioting and looting. Progressive Democrats in cities Seattle, Portland, and New York have called for major cuts to police funding.
The two deputies who were ambushed were still able to radio for help from their police car, the sheriff said. Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva, whose department has come under fire during recent protests over racial unrest, expressed frustration over anti-police sentiment as he urged people to pray for the deputies.
“My heart is with the families of the NC deputy and two LA deputies who were shot in cold-blooded attacks,"
Rep. Brad Schneider (D-Ill.). “Our police are heroes, risking their lives for their communities. We must pursue justice against these perpetrators and all those in our communities who turn to violence.”
California lawmaker, Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) said in a
written statement Sunday, “The horrifying shooting of two LA County Sheriff’s deputies last night was a senseless and unforgivable act of violence. There’s no place in our society for such savagery.” She added, “Local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies will do all they can to identify and arrest the shooter. The perpetrator must be brought to justice.”
