City of Lynwood Jose Ometeotl
Jose Ometeotl, the city manager of Lynwood, California, is causing outrage over his response to the Compton shooting of two Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputies.
Bill Melugin, a journalist with Fox 11 Los Angeles, wrote on Twitter, “NEW: Jose Ometeotl, the city manager of Lynwood, posted on his Instagram that ‘Chickens come home to roost’ following the ambush shooting of two LASD deputies in Compton. One is a 31 y/o mom of a young boy, the other is a 24 year old male deputy, both very new. @FOXLA.”
The deputies were ambushed and both were shot in the head; they are fighting for their lives. The suspect is at large.
Ometeotl’s Instagram page has been made private, but Melugin shared a screenshot of the post, which was a graphic of Malcolm X. A Change.org petition was started demanding Ometeotl’s resignation.
Here’s what you need to know:
Ometeotl Wrote That What Happened ‘Is to Be Expected in the Society We Live in Today’
Here is the full post from before he made his account private. @FOXLA
Ometeotl wrote with the graphic:
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 yesterday 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 Guardado, Breona Taylor, Tamir Rice, Ahmaud Arbery…
Is there any truth to Ometeotl’s accusation that Compton is plagued by “deputy gangs”? In July 2020, The Los Angeles Times reported about an alleged group called The Executioners, “a band of deputies with matching tattoos that wields vast power at the Compton station,” according to a man’s claim against Los Angeles County. The claim alleged that the deputies have “tattoos of a skull with Nazi imagery and an AK-47″ and celebrate deputy shootings.
According to the LA Times, Sheriff Alex Villanueva responded that “there is no gang of any deputies running any station” but said he was taking “swift administrative action.”
The City of Lynwood responded to Ometeotl’s post with a statement that read in part: “There have been comments made … by our City Manager on his personal social media that are his personal opinions and don’t reflect the position of the Lynwood City Council. Today we are only thinking of the two deputies and are praying for their recovery.”
NEW: The city of Lynwood has responded to their city manager’s public Instagram post that said “Chickens come home to roost” after the ambush of two LASD deputies. The city council says Jose Ometeotl’s comments were his personal opinion & do not reflect the city’s position @FOXLA
Ometeotl’s Instagram profile reads, “May I never be complete. May I never be content. May I never be perfect.”
According to the Lynwood city page, “The City Manager’s Office, under the leadership of the City Manager, coordinates the activities of the City’s Departments to ensure that City services are performed to the highest standard in accordance with the City Council policies. The City Manager directs administrative operations; appoints the City’s executive directors; advises the City Council on matters of policies impacting the Lynwood community and accountable to the City Council for the performance of all administrative departments.”
On LinkedIn, he calls himself a “pro-active, focused and success-driven individual with demonstrated leadership in the economic development, municipal finance, financial reporting and non traditional finance fields. Collaborative team player and accomplished leader/mentor who is committed to providing staff with tools, resources, and guidance to facilitate individual growth and success.”
He’s been the city manager for 3 years and 6 months. Before that, he was an assistant city manager and finance director.
He served as a consultant and president of the Ometeotl Group, which is focused on “financial transaction structuring for municipal development projects.” He has also served as an economic development consultant.
He has a master of planning degree from the University of Southern California and a bachelor of science degree from Cornell University.
The Officers Were Ambushed, Video Shows
Update: The gunman walked up on the deputies and opened fire without warning or provocation.
The Sheriff’s Department earlier released video showing the suspect shooting into the squad car. You can watch that video above.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department wrote on Twitter:
“… 2 of our Sheriff Deputies were shot in Compton and were transported to a local hospital. They are both still fighting for their lives, so please keep them in your thoughts and prayers. … One male deputy and one female deputy were ambushed as they sat in their patrol vehicle. Both sustained multiple gunshot wounds and are in critical condition. They are both currently undergoing surgery. The suspect is still at large.”
President Donald Trump wrote on Twitter of the Compton shooting, “Animals that must be hit hard!”
Lynwood is a city located in Los Angeles County.
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