Who is Deonte Lee Murray? Man charged with attempted murder for opening fire at LA sheriff deputies in Compton
COMPTON, CALIFORNIA: On Wednesday, September 30, a man, arrested in connection to a carjacking in Lynwood, was charged with attempted murder in the alleged ambush shooting of two Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies. In the September 12 incident, the two deputies were critically injured while sitting in their patrol car near a Metro station in Compton.
The suspect — 36-year-old Deonte Lee Murray — was arraigned on two counts each of attempted murder of a peace officer and possession of a firearm by a felon in connection with the September 12 attack at the Compton courthouse on September 30, as reported by abc7. According to Associate Press, Murray pleaded not guilty to attempted murder and other charges on Sptember 30 during his arraignment. Sheriff Alex Villanueva said, “This cowardly ambush was followed by bystanders celebrating and cheering that the deputies had been shot, and that followed at the hospital — the sanctity, the quiet sanctity of the hospital — with protesters cheering and chanting for the deputies to die.” He added, “These acts and that day, I will not forget it, and it represents the worst in humanity and it shocked the whole nation. And that evening, I said we will find this man. And I can report today, we have found our suspect.”
The suspect is already charged with one felony count each of carjacking, second-degree robbery and assault with a semi-automatic firearm — along with gang and gun allegations — involving a September 1 carjacking in Compton. In that incident, abc7 reports, Murray allegedly shot a 51-year-old man in the leg and stole his black Mercedes-Benz. He pleaded not guilty to those charges and has been behind bars since his September 15 arrest.
According to District Attorney Jackie Lacey, Murray who authorities allege is associated with multiple gangs, could face a potential life prison term if convicted of the charges. Sheriff's Homicide Bureau Capt Kent Wegener did not mention a specific motive for the attack “other than the fact that he obviously hates policemen, and he wants them dead”. The suspect allegedly fled the scene of the deputies' shooting in the stolen black sedan and threw away a pistol while being chased by sheriff's investigators before a standoff in Lynwood, according to Wegener. The weapon was the same one that had been used to shoot the sheriff's deputies in Compton and was “conclusively linked through forensic testing'” to Murray, he said.
Initially, investigators could not establish that Murray was responsible for the attack on the deputies, according to Wegener. The report states Murray has prior convictions for alleged sales and possession of narcotics, firearm possession by a felon or addict, receiving stolen property, burglary and terrorist threats. “We knew that he was a violent offender, was accused of stealing a black Mercedes-Benz and lived in the area. However, there was insufficient evidence to support an arrest, much less a criminal filing for the charge of attempted murder on a peace officer and to label him in the media as the person responsible,” the sheriff's homicide captain said. He added, “Additionally, bringing the public focus on him at that point of the investigation may have influenced the pending witness interviews and further compromised the mission of solving the attempted murder of the deputies. As the investigation progressed, we gathered sufficient evidence to substantiate not only the arrest but the filing of criminal charges in this case.”
The deputies were shot while they were in their patrol car at the Metro Blue Line station located at 275 N Willowbrook Ave in Compton. Surveillance video shows the gunman approaching the window on the passenger's side and shooting several times at close range. The man then ran off on foot. One deputy was seen emerging from the passenger side and stumbling around on foot for several seconds before the video ends. According to a statement from the department, “Despite being critically injured, the deputies valiantly cared for each other's wounds and safety, communicated their location and plight to others, and tactically prepared for another attack. The suspect fled the scene, and a monetary reward was offered for information leading to their arrest and conviction.” Court papers identified the deputies as Claudia Apolinar and Emmanuel Perez. They graduated together from the sheriff's academy 14 months ago, as per the report. They are recovering at home while Murray is being held on $6 million bail, the report suggests.