LA County city manager could be FIRED for using Malcolm X quote to describe Compton ambush

A Los Angeles county city manager who used Malcolm X’s controversial ‘chickens come home to roost’ quote to describe the shooting of two officers in Compton may face discipline – including his possible dismissal.

Lynwood Councilman Salvador Alatorre said he will introduce a motion to either discipline or fire Lynwood city manager Jose Ometeotl at a special meeting on Tuesday.

 ‘For some reason, he decided to go beyond his authority,’ Alatorre said.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department deputies – one the 31-year-old mother of a six-year-old boy, the other a 24-year-old man – were ambushed by an unknown man at 7pm on Saturday night while they sat in their patrol car at the Metro Blue Line station at Willowbrook Avenue and Oak Street.  

Both officers were shot in the head and underwent surgery. Both are currently in stable condition.

Police are still hunting the gunman and have offered $100,000 reward for information leading to his arrest. 

In response to the shootings, Ometeotl, posted an image with the words ‘chickens come home to roost’ accompanied by a photo of Malcolm X. 

In 1963, Malcolm X used the phrase to describe John F Kennedy’s assassination in response to what he said was the president’s lack of action against violence.

Ometeotl then used the phrase to describe the Compton cops, saying that the neighborhood had been ‘plagued by deputy gangs that inflict fear and violence in the community’. 

‘These deputies murdered, framed and stole from the community just because they could,’ he said. 

‘Good deputies never turned on bad deputies for fear of retaliation and when caught most of these bad deputies kept their jobs and continued on their criminal career.’ 

The reference to ‘deputy gangs’ refers to a group of 100 deputies at the Compton Station who are part of a gang called ‘The Executioners’. 

A whistleblower complaint filed with LA County claims that nearly all members have a matching tattoo to symbolize their status in the gang – comprised of a skull with Nazi imagery and an AK-47. African American deputies and women are not allowed to join the ‘gang’, according to the complaint filed in June. 

After he posted the comment on Instagram, Ometeotl appeared to apologize, saying: ‘The shooting of anyone is a wholly unacceptable occurrence in society. I do not condone the type of violence seen in the shooting of the deputies yesterday in Compton.’ 

He finished the post with a demand for justice for people who were killed by police.  

‘The fact that someone randomly opened fire on deputies is to be expected in the society we live in today,’ Ometeotl added. 

‘The political climate and leadership of Sheriff Villanueva has only sowed the seeds of anger and frustration in the community. I pray for the deputies and their families while still demanding justice for Andres Guardado, Breona Taylor, Tamir Rice, Ahmaud Arbery…’     

Ometeotl’s social media post made his personal Instagram page private shortly after the image was shared online. 

Alatorre said Ometeotl has put the city of Lynwood in an untenable position.

“He’s not an elected official. He represents the city of Lynwood 24/7. He cannot make statements while he’s employed by our city, especially when he jeopardizes public safety.

‘Now what’s going to happen? We have the top administrator against public safety, then what do they expect from the rest of us,’ Alatorre said.

The City of Lynwood – which is near Compton – had issued a statement clarifying that Ometeotl’s post didn’t reflect the city council’s thoughts. 

‘There have been comments made today (Sunday) by our City Manager on his personal social media that are his personal opinions and don’t reflect the position of the Lynwood City Council,’ according to the City of Lynwood statement posted on Twitter Sunday.

The city then said that the ‘hard-working families,’ city employees and elected officials were sending ‘heartfelt prayers’ to the families of the deputies and praying for their recovery. 

A petition has been started urging him to resign.   

The shooting was caught on CCTV. The gunman is seen walking up to the police car and firing straight into the vehicle. 

A still from the video showed the female deputy with what looked like blood on her shirt. 

According to Fox 8, authorities said the female deputy was ‘shot through jaw, still radioed for help & applied tourniquet to male deputy’s wounds.’ 

Police have now released a description of the shooting suspect, who fled the scene. 

He is being described as a ‘male Black, 28 to 30-years-old, wearing dark clothing.’

Police said that he was last seen ‘heading northbound on Willowbrook Avenue in a black four-door sedan.’

Authorities are also searching for the driver of the sedan, which could be a black Mercedes, MyNewsLA reported.  

Video taken from the incident showed the enormous police response to the shooting, as well as reactions of crowds of people looking on as, sirens blazing, officers raced to help their wounded colleagues.

A bystander narrated the action, saying ‘Compton. N***** just aired the police out’ and added ‘That’s crazy. Damn. It goes down in Compton.’

The smiling cameraman also said: ‘It’s going up. Somebody bust on their a**. Somebody bust on the police. Two sheriffs shot in the face. Two sheriffs shot in the face – they tripping. 

‘Somebody just ran up on the corner and bust on their a**, right through the window’

He then concludes, grinning: ‘It’s a wrap.’ 

On Sunday the Los Angeles Times reported that one of the two officers had managed to radio for help.

Moments after the gunman runs away, the passenger door of the patrol car opens and a deputy stumbles out, hand on head. 

The driver’s-side door opens soon after. 

On the radio, according to footage reviewed by the paper, 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.’  

Donald Trump on Sunday said the man who opened fire should face a ‘fast trial death penalty’ if the deputies die. 

Speaking at a rally in Nevada on Sunday night, he said: ‘If you murder a police officer, you should receive the death penalty.’

To loud cheers, he continued: ‘I just saw a video of that animal who went up to the car. They were unsuspecting, fine people – very fine people.’ 

He earlier called the shooter an ‘animal’ who needed to be ‘hit hard’ as the FBI was called in to help investigate.

The president tweeted: ‘If they die, fast trial death penalty for the killer. Only way to stop this!’ 

He had retweeted his son Donald Jr. who shared the footage, writing: ‘Please pray for these two Sheriff Deputies. Their lives matter!!! #BlueLivesMatter.’

Joe Biden said: ‘This cold-blooded shooting is unconscionable and the perpetrator must be brought to justice. Violence of any kind is wrong; those who commit it should be caught and punished. Jill and I are keeping the deputies and their loved ones in our hearts and praying for a full recovery.’ 

Kamala Harris added: ‘Doug and I are keeping the two Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputies in our hearts as they currently fight for their lives after a horrific attack last night. The perpetrator must be brought to justice.’ 

The Los Angeles County board of supervisors has offered a $100,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the gunman. 

Shameful footage said to have been taken outside St. Francis Medical Center in Lynwood on Saturday night shows one protester yelling: ‘I want to deliver a message to the family of the pigs, I hope they f***ing die.’ The protesters had been connected to the Black Lives Matter movement on Twitter but that has not been officially confirmed. 

Another demonstrator tells police: ‘Y’all gonna die one by one. This ain’t gonna stop.’ 

On Sunday the LA county sheriffs office tweeted: ‘To the protesters blocking the entrance & exit of the HOSPITAL EMERGENCY ROOM yelling ‘We hope they die’ referring to 2 LA Sheriff’s ambushed today in #Compton: DO NOT BLOCK EMERGENCY ENTRIES & EXITS TO THE HOSPITAL. 

‘People’s lives are at stake when ambulances can’t get through.’   

One local faith leader had told KABC: ‘They were saying “Death to the police” and “Kill the police,” and these are sheriffs, but the message is still the same. They were using all types of curse words and derogatory terms. Unacceptable behavior, because a hospital should be a sanctuary.’  

Video released by the sheriff’s department Saturday shows the suspect walking up to the car and immediately opening fire on the male and female officers before running off. 

‘The gunman walked up on the deputies and opened fire without warning or provocation,’ the department said in a post. 

Both deputies sustained multiple gunshot wounds and are in critical condition, according to the department’s Twitter account.  

Both graduated from the academy 14 months ago. Neither have been officially named.  

During the press conference, Sheriff Villanueva said that the two deputies initiated radio contact after they were shot. They were transported with the assistance of other deputies,’ he shared.

‘That was a cowardly act,’ Villanueva added. 

‘The two deputies were doing their job, minding their own business, watching out for the safety of the people on the train.’

‘Seeing somebody just walk up and start shooting on them. It p***es me off. It dismays me at the same time. There’s no pretty way to say it.’ 

Footage of the protesters surrounding the hospital where they are being treated sparked outrage online. 

@themetskipper wrote: ‘This is the result of the anti police narrative.’ 

Capt. Kent Wegner said: ‘He walked along the passenger side of the car. He acted as if he was going to walk past the car and then he made a left turn directly toward the car, raised a pistol and fired several rounds inside of the vehicle, striking both of the sheriff’s deputies.’