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Hero deputy shot through the jaw in Los Angeles ambush is a rookie officer and a former librarian
Image source: Daily Mail video screnshot

Hero deputy shot through the jaw in Los Angeles ambush is a rookie officer and a former librarian

Her father says she's in stable condition

The father of the hero Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department deputy — identified as Claudia Apolinar — is speaking out on his daughter's condition.

A gunman opened fire on Apolinar and her 24-year-old colleague in an ambush-style attack on Saturday. Apolinar was able to place a tourniquet on the other officer following the attack and also radioed for help.

The suspect is still at large, and authorities are offering $200,000 for information connected to the shooting.

What are the details?

According to the Daily Mail, Apolinar, 31, is a rookie police officer who graduated from the police academy in 2019. Prior to becoming an officer of the law, the mother of a 6-year-old child was a librarian.

Her father, Adolfo, told the outlet that his daughter is in stable condition following an emergency surgery.

In addition to being shot in the face, Apolinar was shot several times in her upper torso.

"By the grace of God, they're both going to pull through," he said. "They're obviously pretty injured and it's going to be life-altering, but they're in stable condition."

Adolfo also lauded the bravery of his daughter and the other officer.

"They didn't give up, they didn't cower down," he told the outlet. "They got out and took care of each other, took cover, made sure it wasn't an active shooter situation. You've got to praise them for their courage and ability to fight for their lives and everybody else's lives."

He detailed the moments following the abrupt shooting.

"It's an extreme situation," he described. "She was shot in the face, shot in the upper torso several times. To have the wherewithal to get yourself out of the vehicle and the line of fire in case it continues, but then to take care of your partner, initiate radio traffic, make sure the civilians in the area are safe, it shows a lot about her courage and intestinal fortitude."

First responders arrived on the scene and transported both officers to a nearby hospital following the attack.

Shortly thereafter, Black Lives Matter activists reportedly converged on the hospital, blocking entrances and demanding that the officers be left to die. Several protesters were arrested during the fracas.

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