A 36-year-old man has been charged with the shooting of two Los Angeles County Shriff’s deputies during an ambush earlier this month in Compton.
Deonte Lee Murray was charged with 2 counts of attempted murder in the September 12 ambush as they sat in their squad car outside a Metro bus station.
Murray has a long criminal history that includes attempted murder, gang-related crimes and weapons offenses.
The motive is believed to be “gang rivalry” with members of the Sheriff’s department.
Murray is Black, 5-foot-7, and weighs 190 pounds.
Since his race wasn't mentioned I can reasonably conclude "Deonte Lee Murray" is black
— Ogbuefi Private Citizen ?? (@odogwudozilla) September 30, 2020
Sheriff Alex Villanueva (pictured above) announced that public outrage over the shooting sparked private donations had pushed the reward for the suspect’s capture to nearly $700,000.
Both deputies, a 31-year-old woman and 24-year-old man, were shot multiple times, but have since been released from the hospital.
Murray was arrested Sept. 15 after being accused of shooting a man during a carjacking on Sept. 1 in Compton.
According to investigators, he shot the carjack victim in the leg and stole his black Mercedes sedan, which he used for his getaway. Murray was arrested following a high-speed car chase and standoff, authorities said.
Bail is set at $1.24 million. If convicted on all charges, Murray faces a possible maximum sentence of 25 years to life in state prison.
