A California man has been convicted in the fatal drive-by ambush of a Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy who was shot while stopped at a red light just steps from the department’s Palmdale station in 2023.
Kevin Salazar, 32, was found guilty Monday of murdering Deputy Ryan Clinkunbroomer following a week-long trial.
“It’s very helpful that the justice system prevail, that you have a conviction that is a benefit to the family,” Brad Gage, the Los Angeles attorney representing Clinkunbroomer’s family, told News Outlet. “That gives some solace. That gives some comfort.”
MURDERED LOS ANGELES SHERIFF’S DEPUTY’S FAMILY SLAPS COUNTY WITH $20M WRONGFUL DEATH LAWSUIT
Attorney Bradley Gage, middle, and Kim Clinkunbroomer, left, and Mike Clinkunbroomer, the parents of late Los Angeles Sheriff’s Deputy Ryan Clinkunbroomer, pictured left, announce the precursor of a lawsuit against the Sheriff’s Department at a news conference in Los Angeles on Nov. 28, 2023. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
The shooting unfolded around 6 p.m. on Sept. 16, 2023, when Clinkunbroomer, in uniform and driving a marked patrol vehicle, stopped at a red light near the Palmdale Sheriff’s Station. As he waited at the intersection, another vehicle pulled up beside him, and a man inside opened fire, striking the deputy in the head.
Investigators said Salazar had trailed Clinkunbroomer from the Palmdale Sheriff’s Station to an intersection less than a block away before firing a .22 revolver. The gunman then drove off. Clinkunbroomer was later pronounced dead at a hospital.
Two days after the killing, authorities located Salazar at his family’s home in Palmdale and arrested him on murder charges after a standoff, part of which was captured on video.
Kevin Salazar is seen being taken into custody after a standoff in Palmdale, California, on suspicion of killing Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputy Ryan Clinkunbroomer. (KEYNEWS.TV)
Clinkunbroomer, 30, was engaged to be married at the time of his murder.
“When a parent loses a child, there’s no name for it,” Gage said. “It’s so painful, it’s so traumatic, it is so devastating that it is beyond words.”
Jurors deliberated for just 2 1/2 hours before finding Salazar guilty of first-degree murder as well as the special circumstance allegations of murder of a peace officer, lying in wait and firing from a vehicle, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
WATCH: Suspect arrested following fatal shooting of LA sheriff’s deputy Ryan Clinkunbroomer
Despite the conviction, a motive remains unclear, according to the family’s attorney.
Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputy Ryan Clinkunbroomer was shot Sept. 16, 2023. (Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department)
“As far as we know, there was no reason,” Gage told News Outlet. “It was just execution of a police officer.”
The court will move on Wednesday to a sanity-deciding phase for Salazar, to determine whether he goes to prison or is confined in a state mental hospital after he raised an insanity defense.
A sidewalk memorial grows at the corner of Sierra Highway and Avenue Q in front of the Palmdale Sheriff’s Station for Deputy Ryan Clinkunbroomer, who was shot to death near the spot. (Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
“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 Hochman said in a statement.
Clinkunbroomer came from a law enforcement family. His grandfather, father and brother all served.
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna comforts Brittany Lindsey, the fiancée of Ryan Clinkunbroomer’s fiancée, along with the deputy’s parents, Kim and Mike Clinkunbroomer, during a news conference at the Hall of Justice in Los Angeles on Sept. 20, 2023. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel, File)
“Ryan dedicated his life to service, proudly carrying on his family’s legacy as a third-generation member of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department,” Sheriff Robert Luna said after the verdict. “We will forever honor his service, his sacrifice and the badge he proudly wore. Deputy Ryan Clinkunbroomer will never be forgotten.”
After his death, the family sued the county, alleging that mandatory overtime and understaffing had left Clinkunbroomer exhausted and more vulnerable to the ambush, Gage said.
The county was dismissed from the lawsuit based on workers’ compensation protections, however, and the family decided not to pursue a civil case against Salazar.
Separately, the county honored Clinkunbroomer by renaming a Department of Parks and Recreation sports complex after him in January 2026.
