The Lynwood city council voted Tuesday to place City Manager Jose Ometeotl on paid administrative leave after he posted an Instagram photo of Malcom X, with the text “Chickens Come Home To Roost” over the image, in response to two Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputies getting ambushed by an armed assailant over the weekend.
As a result of a city council vote, Ometeotl will now undergo an “internal investigation,” officials said late Tuesday.
— City of Lynwood (@MyLynwoodca) September 16, 2020
Ometeotl wrote in the Instagram post: “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 in Compton. I will say that communities like Compton have 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. 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 fact that someone randomly opened fire on deputies is to be expected in the society we live in today. 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 Guardato, Breona Taylor, Tamir Rice, Ahmaud Arbery…” the post concluded.
After Fox News Los Angeles reporter Bill Melugin posted a screenshot of the city manager’s post to Twitter, Ometoetl made his Instagram account private, and the city distanced themselves from his post, saying it wasn’t reflective of the council’s beliefs.
Here is the full post from before he made his account private. @FOXLA pic.twitter.com/ETAmv3ekcg
— Bill Melugin (@BillFOXLA) September 13, 2020
Authorities have not yet arrested a suspect for the shooting, which left two deputies, a 31-year-old mother and a 24-year-old male, in critical condition and prompted an outpouring of support for law enforcement officers. Both officers had been sworn in to the force only 14 months ago, according to L.A. Sheriff Alex Villanueva.
On Tuesday evening, Villanueva announced that the male deputy had been released from the hospital, marking the next step in his long road to recovery.
“Great news, one of those deputies was released from the hospital today. He has a long road ahead for recovery. But he’s not alone. We, as a community, are in this together,” said Villanueva.
We at @LASDHQ appreciate the outpouring of prayers and support you have shown for our ambushed deputies.
Great news, one of those deputies was released from the hospital today. He has a long road ahead for recovery. But he’s not alone. We, as a community, are in this together.
— Alex Villanueva (@LACoSheriff) September 17, 2020
The female deputy, who is also the mother to a 6-year-old boy, remains in the hospital.