18-year-old man arrested in Palmdale deputy shooting

Officials this morning said an 18-year-old man shot and wounded a L.A. County sheriff’s deputy in Palmdale who had tried to stop him for questioning.

Dejon King was arrested Sunday night after a brief pursuit less than an hour after the shooting. He was expected to be booked on charges of attempted murder, according to a statement by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. The deputy was in stable condition with a non-life-threatening gunshot wound to his shoulder. His name was not released but officials said he was in his 20s.

He had tried to stop King, who was crossing Avenue Q-4 about 8 p.m., after noticing the man appeared to have something concealed in his waistband. King tried to flee into an apartment complex, but the gate was locked. Instead, he turned around and started shooting, officials said.

The deputy returned fire and missed King, but King hit him in the shoulder in the gun battle.

King abandoned his handgun at the scene and sped away in his car, leading deputies on a brief chase. He later forced his way into a house with an elderly woman inside, but surrendered when deputies surrounded the home, officials said.

 -- Victoria Kim

Comments

[KK]

Bravo to the officer. I can't imagine pratoling in a city where people just shoot at peace officer. I hope this guy stays in jail forever.

[Jeb]

man ? 18 year old boy

[RoC]

Wow....I wonder what RACE our little "Dejon" was?? Why is it so hard for people to keep their hands out of the "criminal" cookie jar? This guy was up to no good to begin with.

[Mike]

Geeze, go figure, what perosn allowed this guy out in the street. Well 18 and life to go..He will get a life sentence.

[Chris]

Lock King up and throw away the key.

[martin]

His life is ruined.

[Emma]

RoC...what is your point, exactly? One (presumably) black guy commits a crime and this is somehow a reflection on all blacks? That, for whatever reason, it is harder for blacks to avoid crimes than it is for (enter race here)? I'm glad you have the internet to make your idiotic statements and pointless observations. And please don't waste your time writing about how you were just "pointing it out." it's clear what you were saying.

[Cat]

It just goes to show that the hardest life to live is the straight life. It's not easy to get a job, go to work everyday and wait until you have enough cash or are able to finally accomplish your goal. A lot of us give up before we get there. Instant gratification is the name of the game. It's easier for someone to rob someone else who has worked hard for what they have. Criminals are criminals because they can't even begin to live the straight life and by straight life I mean honest life. Would hate for someone to intentionally misunderstand my statement and turn it into what it is not.

[M. Scott]

It's stunning how 14% of the population causes so much trouble. Can you imagine how much of a drain on society this is?

[george]

Emma -- I think that RoC what pointing out the deficiency in the story in that it omitted that information. He wasn't reflecting on the tendencies of black people. The only place you can get a straight up story is in the Homocide Report. In the rest of the Times' coverage you have to play the 'name that race' game.

[Joe]

To bad the deputy wasn't a better shot, would have saved the tax payers a lot of money in court costs and costs related to locking him up, but OH, then it would have turned into a racial thang with dumb and dumber (Jessie Jackson & Al Sharpton) beating their bigoted drums and claiming the "Black Man" was wronged again!

[In the trenches]

This thug deserves whatever he has coming. The sad part is, the tax payer is going to foot the bill after he pleabargins for a 15 to life sentence. I see that some of you have come to the conclusion that this guy must be black, like black people are the only people commiting these types of crimes. From what I have seen more white people shot and kill law enforcement than anybody, and some of these cops can't be trusted either, so before you play the race game.... Mr ROc... Get your facts together big mouth.

[star]

Why did the deputy miss? Was it intentional or he just needs to go to the range more often?
What do you expect in such a tore up part of Palmdale? I am sure that many of the commentators have never ever been to Palmdale especially the neighborhood where this deputy shooting took place. It is a part of Palmdale that the real estate agents do not want you to know about.
I believe the deputy that was shot should be sent back to the range, and the 18 year old is where he is supposed to be, but for how long?

[star]

Why is the shooter's name revealed and not the sheriff that did not shoot straight?
Just curious.

[People In Palmdale]

Palmdale is such a horrible place to live because of all the racist people that live there. Everyone who has mentioned race in a comment on this site is responsible for events like this happening. I am glad I left. I can now live with people who accept others in peace.

[Tehachapian]

A lot of overt racism in Palmdale and in this blog. Scary!

[Sparky Jones]

Guns don't kill people... criminals kill people.... or attempt to. Everyone who is a law abiding citizen knows that. Youth is not an excuse... I worked Palmdale Station and would never live there unless I had a gun.

[D]

i know this kid, and he really isnt a bad person just made some really bad decisions, and its going to cost him his life or at least most of it, i teach at risk youth everyday and this really disturbs me, so for any kids out there who are headed down the same path, STOP and THINK, its not worth it

[kd]

The reason criminals seem to hit their targets more often than cops is because they usually are the ones who initiate the shooting. It makes a big difference. They have time to mentally prepare themselves before taking action.

Put yourself in the cop's shoes. You're making a routine patrol stop. Suddenly someone is trying to end your life. Your heart rate slams up to the 180's and your body floods with adrenaline. Your body can no longer effectively perform fine motor skills such as tying a shoe or aiming a weapon.

Sure, the deputy could have handled things differently. Training helps, but it can't completely eliminate the panic that one feels in such a situation. Even combat experienced soldiers say that they can shoot accurately in training, but most of their shots miss the target in a real world situation.

It's easy to criticize, but we should try to refrain until we've been in that situation ourselves.