L.A. sheriff challenges LeBron James to match reward money for gunman who ambushed 2 deputies

"Particularly our elected officials and civic leaders and sports figures, they need to start emphasizing trust in the system, due process."Villanueva did not specify any particular people but many politicians and athletes have harshly criticized police and called for defunding departments in the wake of the killing of George Floyd, a Black man who died in Minneapolis after a white officer pressed a knee to his neck, and the shooting of Blake in Kenosha.The NBA playoffs were delayed last month when James and other stars supported the Milwaukee Bucks' decision not to play following Blake's shooting. U.S. Open winner Naomi Osaka of Japan wore masks with the names of Black victims of violence throughout the tennis tournament.After 29-year-old Dijon Kizzee was killed by two LA County deputies last month, U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters, a Democrat who represents part of South Los Angeles, said "while we don't know all of the details of this incident" she shares the community's outrage and that the message from police killings is "the lives of people of color do not matter and that the practice is to shoot first and ask questions later."She said the Sheriff's Department is out of control and called on state Attorney General Xavier Becerra to investigate "the pattern of abuses."The department has begun its own investigation of allegations that a renegade group of deputies calling themselves The Executioner s have taken control of the Compton station through threats, intimidation and harassment.Ron Hernandez, president of the Association for Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs, said his organization is open to overall reform - he disputed any claims of renegade groups of deputies - but Saturday's shooting could never be justified as part of potential anti-police rhetoric."When you're sitting there doing paperwork and providing safety for the community, and somebody from the public comes out and ambushes you and tries to kill you, there's no valid explanation for that," he said during a Monday news conference outside the hospital. That's not going to resolve anything."Villanueva criticized elected officials, sports figures and civic leaders for "fanning the flames of hatred" as America grapples with racism and police brutality, saying they instead should emphasize trust in the criminal justice system.Villanueva also rejected claims the criminal justice system is biased against people of color, saying his department is committed to thorough investigations, including of its own employees."To someone who says they're biased, the only bias we have is toward facts," he said.