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Dodgers star Mookie Betts extends prayers to ambushed LA deputies, calls for justice
Mookie Betts (Harry How/Getty Images)

Dodgers star Mookie Betts extends prayers to ambushed LA deputies, calls for justice

The one-time MVP says he is 'angered' by the shooting

Los Angeles Dodgers right fielder Markus "Mookie" Betts has spoken out condemning the weekend ambush of two Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies, saying his prayers are with the officers, and calling for justice in the shooting.

What are the details?

"I am angered and disappointed by the ambush of the two LA deputies in Compton," the one-time MVP Betts tweeted Wednesday. "My prayers are with both deputies. #JusticeForAll"

Authorities are still searching for the gunman who was caught on surveillance video opening fire on the two deputies while they sat in their patrol car on Saturday. According to Fox News:

Officials have offered a $300,000 reward for information that leads authorities to the gunman who ambushed the deputies. The reward for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the brazen shooter has ballooned by more than $200,000 with the help of public and private donors.

The ambushed officers were hospitalized in critical condition due to the injuries they sustained in the shooting. LA County Sheriff Alex Villanueva announced Wednesday that one of the deputies was released on Wednesday, but still "has a long road ahead for recovery."

The deputy who remains hospitalized has been identified as Claudia Apolinar, a former librarian and the mother of a 6-year-old boy. She has been hailed as a hero for applying a tourniquet to her partner to save his life in the moments following the attack, despite the fact that she herself had just been shot in the face and several times in the torso.

According to the LA County Sheriff's Office, protesters attempted to block the entrance to the hospital when the deputies were rushed there for emergency surgery, yelling, "We hope they die."

The attack comes after months of ongoing protests across the U.S. following the death of George Floyd in late May in Minneapolis, that have often descended into rioting, looting, arson, and calls for defunding the police. Every major sports league has advocated for social justice during the movement, and several athletes and teams have boycotted games to protest police brutality.

One of the most outspoken athletes has been Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James, who tweeted last month that black men are "being targeted" by the police in reaction to the shooting of Jacob Blake, who became involved in an altercation with police in Kenosha, Wisconsin, after officers responded to domestic disturbance call.

Sheriff Villanueva challenged James earlier this week to meet or match the reward for information leading to the arrest of the suspect who ambushed the deputies. James has remained silent on the shooting.

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