Inset, left to right: Kevin Salazar in court (KTLA) and Deputy Ryan Clinkunbroomer (LACSD). Background: The intersection in California where Salazar killed Clinkunbroomer (Google Maps).
A 32-year-old California man has been convicted of ambushing and fatally shooting a newly engaged sheriff’s deputy who was sitting at a red light in his marked patrol vehicle less than a block from the station.
A jury in Los Angeles County found Kevin Eduardo Cataneo Salazar guilty on one count of first-degree murder in the September 2023 slaying of 30-year-old Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputy Ryan Clinkunbroomer, prosecutors announced Tuesday.
Love true crime? Sign up for our newsletter, The Law&Crime Docket, to get the latest real-life crime stories delivered right to your inbox.
According to a press release from the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, jurors needed only about 2 1/2 hours to convict Salazar of the murder. The panel also upheld special allegations in the case, finding that Salazar lied in wait, fired from a car, and targeted a law enforcement officer. Jurors further found that he personally used a .22-caliber revolver to commit the murder.
As Law&Crime previously reported, on Sept. 16, 2023, Salazar followed Clinkunbroomer after the deputy left the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Palmdale Station. Less than a block from the station, Salazar “ambushed” him and opened fire before speeding away, prosecutors said.
Clinkunbroomer was alone in his marked patrol vehicle when he was attacked. A passerby later discovered him unconscious inside the vehicle and alerted personnel at the nearby Palmdale Station. Emergency medical personnel transported the deputy to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.
The murder sparked an intensive search for the gunman. Investigators released a description of a dark gray Toyota Corolla believed to be connected to the shooting and offered a $250,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.
Authorities located and arrested Salazar two days later after local residents provided information that helped investigators identify him.
Sheriff Robert Luna said investigators recovered several weapons as well as the vehicle from Salazar’s home.
Nearly three years later, a jury has determined that Salazar was responsible for the murder.
“This brutal and senseless murder took the life of a dedicated deputy, leaving his family, colleagues and community to endure an unimaginable loss. We hope today’s guilty verdict brings a measure of healing to Deputy Clinkunbroomer’s family and loved ones,” Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman said in a statement. “While the trial now moves to the sanity phase, this verdict is an important step toward justice and accountability. I am deeply grateful to our Crimes Against Peace Officers prosecutors for their tireless work on this case and their continued commitment to Deputy Clinkunbroomer, his family and all those who loved him.”
As noted by the district attorney, the verdict does not resolve Salazar’s case. Because he pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, the trial will now move into a sanity phase, which is scheduled to begin Wednesday. That proceeding will determine whether Salazar is committed to state prison or a state hospital.
Clinkunbroomer was an eight-year veteran of the Sheriff’s Department and a third-generation member of the agency. Luna said the deputy’s family, colleagues and fellow deputies had remained committed to seeing the case through.
“While nothing can bring Ryan back to his family, his loved ones or our department family, we hope this verdict brings a sense of peace and closure to those who loved him and served alongside him,” Luna said, adding that he “will never be forgotten.”
The post Man who ‘ambushed’ and killed newly engaged sheriff’s deputy as he sat in patrol car at red light is convicted first appeared on Law & Crime.
