Two LA County Sheriffs Deputies were ambushed by a gunman in Compton CA on Saturday. They were both shot in the head but both are alive. There are no suspects yet. Video of the shooting show a man walking up to the car and firing twice (The Guardian). The suspect then runs away and the police car door opens.
Some have been blaming the shooting on the BLM protests that have been going on since the killing of George Floyd. The question is, should BLM leadership denounce the killing? This Townhall article points out the president and other leaders denounced the killing of George Floyd. This is obviously a criminal and unfortunate event. Most people, the sane ones, will be hoping the officers recover.
There are some problems with asking for a denouncement from BLM leaders. Who are the BLM leaders? It isn’t a strictly organized movement. There isn’t a political face, designated leader or ambassador for the individuals and groups that have taken to the streets to protest racism in the US police forces.
If there was a designated BLM leader would a denouncement be viewed as an admission of guilt? Appearing to apologize for the shooting could be construed as claiming it. As of yet there are no suspects. There has been no claiming of the shooting; no posted, half crazed manifesto entitled “why I shot the police.” There is nothing to go on. This is Compton we’re talking about; this could have simply been a criminal act with some other motivation. If the ambush had happened last year it wouldn’t have gotten much press.
On June 16 (Forbes) the FBI announced Steven Carillo, accused of killing officers during protests, was a bugaloo boy. He had committed the crimes during the protests so Antifa and BLM supporters would be blamed for it. Carillo was a former Air Force sergeant who had also thrown pipe bombs during demonstrations and had shot a federal security guard. These were acts he hoped would be blamed on the protesters. Could this shooter have had a similar motive?
The whole affair shows the divisions growing in our society. The shooting of these deputies is a crime that will hopefully not go unpunished. We shouldn’t let ourselves jump to conclusions because of the current turmoil. Times like these often amplify the emotions of people and get them to react. Reactions are not thought out and can result in disaster. Let’s wait and see if they catch this guy.
Protesters should stay peaceful as possible and police each other.