Deputy shot by gunman survived when bullet hit his body camera, California cops say

The Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office said that one of its deputies was shot on Friday in a “premeditated attempted murder on a law enforcement officer,’ the Los Angeles Times reported.

In what authorities called an “unprovoked attack,” Deputy Sukhdeep Gill was approached by a car while he was stopped on a rural road. A gunman fired multiple shots at Gill and bullets struck his body camera and body armor, according to the Los Angeles Times.

“He was very lucky, and very brave under fire,” Santa Clara County Sheriff Laurie Smith told KNTV. “This was an ambush. Based on the evidence, it was an unprovoked attack on our deputy.”

Gill is a “practicing Sikh who wears a traditional headdress,” KPIX reported.

Officials are investigating the incident as a possible hate crime, according to KNTV.

The gunman’s car was a “silver 2000s sedan, possibly a Honda,” KPIX reported. The sheriff’s office said Gill is recovering from a non-life-threatening injury.

The suspect are still at large and the sheriff’s office has asked anyone with more information to contact Sergeant Joe Piazza at 408-808-4510 or the office’s Investigation Unit at 408-808-4500, according to Kron. 4

This story was originally published February 4, 2020 at 3:51 PM with the headline "Deputy shot by gunman survived when bullet hit his body camera, California cops say."