Two deputy officers are recovering from a successful surgery after they were brutally shot in Compton over the weekend.
On Saturday (Sept. 12), the male and deputy officer sat in their patrol car as they policed the Metro Station. According to footage of the incident, an unidentified man dressed in dark clothing, walked alongside the vehicle to the passenger’s side then fired multiple shots before departing the scene.
The officers, who are reportedly “both fighting for their lives,” were taken to a nearby hospital where they underwent surgery and are said to have “survived the worst” of their injuries.
President Donald Trump reacted to the incident the following day (Sept. 13), asking his Twitter following to pray for the officers as he claimed their lives and blue lives matter. In a follow up tweet regarding the shooting, he added, “If they die, fast trial death penalty for the killer. Only way to stop this!”
Piers Morgan voiced his opinion on the recent firing and likened it to that of George Floyd’s killing, suggesting both situations are gruesome experiences. “This senseless sheriff-shooting by a cowardly Black criminal is just as horrific as George Floyd’s death at the knee of a cowardly white cop – and if you don’t agree, you’re part of the problem,” he wrote.
The tweet triggered a Twitter debate about whether the comparison made sense.
“The shooting is pre-meditated. It is completely different – the cops involved in the Floyd case did not plan the demise of FLOYD in the cold calculated way this guy shoots unaware cops,” one user wrote in defense of the sheriff officers. “The pre-planned blocking of the hospital by supporters who must have been aware is disgusting.”
“You are part of the problem even comparing the two piers! The cops were doing their job and murdered in cold blood. George Floyd was resisting arrest,” another tweet read.
A third user denounced both incidents. “I condemn the senseless murder of these two cops. I condemn the senseless murder of George Floyd by those cops in Minnesota. I condemn the two murders by Kyle Rittenhouse,” he penned in his tweet. “This is not a competition, as people can walk and talk at the same time.”
Plies seemingly responded to Trump and the supporters of Blue Lives Matter, calling out the ones who fail to treat the killings of Black lives the same way. “If U Care About Police Officers Getting Shot But Can’t Find It In Your Heart To Sympathize With Unarmed Black Men Getting Killed By Law Enforcement,” he wrote. “U Just A One Sided Individual!!!!”
Reverend Al Sharpton also prayed for all victims of horrific shootings, telling MSNBC, “I pray for the lives of those two officers just like I pray for Jacob Blake who was shot in the back seven times … and I pray for the family of George Floyd, and I pray for all of them in the same prayer.”