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Last Saturday in Compton, CA, a lone gunman ambushed two deputies sitting in their patrol car. One of the two deputies, a 24-year-old man, has already been released from the hospital.

His partner, 31-year-old Claudia Apolinar, reportedly suffered gunshot wounds to her face and torso but was able to get out of the car, assist her partner and radio for help.

Both are expected to fully recover but have a long road ahead.

The incident was captured on surveillance video and the suspect is still at large.
However, the reward for information leading authorities to the gunman is now up to at least $300,000, thanks to additional private and public donors.

Yesterday, Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva announced $50,000 was provided by a Wyoming-based surgeon “who personally knows how difficult & long the recovery will be for the [two] deputies.”

Other outside donors include an East Coast-based law firm, which pledged $25,000.

During a radio interview on Monday on 790 KABC Villanueva challenged LA Laker LeBron James to contribute to the reward as well.

“I want to make a challenge,” Villanueva said. “This challenge is to LeBron James. I want you to match that and double that reward. Because I know you care about law enforcement, you expressed a very, very interesting statement about your perspective on race relations and officer-involved shootings and the impact it has on the African American community. And I appreciate that.

“But likewise, we need to appreciate that respect for life goes across professions, across race. And I’d like to see LeBron James step up to the plate and double that.”

The “very, very interesting statement” Villaneuva may have been referring to was James’ tweet after Jacob Blake was shot in Kenosha, WI

“And y’all wonder why we say what we say about the Police!!” James wrote on Twitter. “Someone please tell me WTF is this???!!! Exactly another black man being targeted. This s–t is so wrong and so sad!! Feel so sorry for him, his family and OUR PEOPLE!! We want JUSTICE”

Kobe Bryant’s widow, Vanessa Bryant was not pleased by Villaneuva’s challenge. On Instagram, she posted multiple references to Villaneuva’s department leaking photos from the site of the helicopter crash that claimed the life of her husband and their 13-year-old daughter, Gianna.

Deputies took photos from the crash site on their personal devices and shared them in private settings, but they eventually leaked to the Internet.

Villanueva admitted that the photos were taken and said in March that he ordered deputies to delete them, prompting concerns about the destruction of evidence.

Be that as it may, the fact remains that two sheriff’s deputies were shot point blank as they sat in their patrol car. And we thank God they will survive.

We veterans at Nine Line Apparel are swinging into action to support our comrades working to keep the peace. As part of a larger campaign to show our support for America’s law enforcement officers, Nine Line Apparel will be launching a t-shirt design to raise money for the deputies and their families. Beyond the funds raised, each shirt will carry a message showing that the wearer supports those ready to give their lives to protect and serve.

“Our brave law enforcement professionals are on the front lines of protecting our communities from chaos and rioters during America’s violent summer,” said Army CPT (ret.) Tyler Merritt, CEO of Nine Line Apparel.

“Day in and day out, they often do the thankless work of keeping our streets safe, putting themselves in harm’s way. As veterans, we know what that’s like and we want to show our support however we can. When two members of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department are shot in cold blood for simply doing their job, it demonstrates the very real and imminent danger our police experience on a daily basis, which is now worse than it’s been in a long time.

Nine Line’s new ‘Defend the Blue’ design shows our support for law enforcement heroes, so they know we have their back. Proceeds from this design will directly benefit the officers shot in Compton and their families.

We hope you’ll wear it with pride.