The City of Santa Clarita will be holding a candlelight vigil for the community to honor fallen Los Angeles Sheriff’s Deputy Ryan Clinkunbroomer.
The vigil will be on Sunday, Sept. 24, at 7 p.m. at Marketplace Park, 23811 Newhall Ranch Road.
Clinkunbroomer, 30, died after being shot in his patrol car on Saturday, Sept. 16, while on duty with the Palmdale Sheriff Station.
Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department deputy Ryan Clinkunbroomer died after he was shot in his patrol car Saturday evening, Sept. 16, 2023 in Palmdale. (Courtesy of Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department)
On Monday, Kevin Cataneo Salazar, 29, was arrested and charged with the murder of the deputy. Cataneo Salazar pleaded not guilty due to insanity on Wednesday, Sept. 20. He was arrested outside his home in Palmdale, finally surrendering after an hours-long standoff with heavily armed deputies.
Salazar’s family told reporters that he was diagnosed with schizophrenia. Several times over the past four to six years, family members said, law enforcement had been summoned to the family home to help with his mental challenges.
Salazar was charged with one count of murder. Added to that charge were three allegations — that he laid in wait to ambush Clinkunbroomer, that he attacked an on-duty law enforcement officer and that he used a firearm in the killing (a .22-caliber revolver) – that if proven would mean more prison time added to his potential sentence. Salazar already faces life in prison without the possibility of parole if he’s convicted on the murder charge.
At Saturday’s vigil, the Santa Clarita City Council will be joined by Los Angeles County Fifth District Supervisor Kathryn Barger, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, and Father Jihoon Kim from Saint Kateri’s Catholic Church in honoring Clinkunbroomer, according to a press release.
The shocking homicide set off shockwaves among law enforcement and in the communities of Santa Clarita and Palmdale.
“This loss resonates with so many in our community,” Santa Claria Mayor Jason Gibbs said in a statement. “Our city is home to many law enforcement officers who protect our residents and communities throughout the region.”
Clinkunbroomer was a Santa Clarita Valley resident and West Ranch High School graduate. Clinkunbroomer had worked for the Sheriff’s Department for eight years.
“In the aftermath of Deputy Clinkunbroomer’s murder, it seems that everyone has a kind story to tell about this brave man,” Gibbs said. “Remembering his compassion, dedication to serving others, love for his family and his law enforcement brothers and sisters. We want to provide the community the chance to come together to unite in honoring his life and the profound sacrifices he made.”
“This guy was 30 years old, he was young, he still had his whole life ahead of him and for him to get his life taken away the way he did, that’s just not right,” said Melissa Delgado, a lifelong Palmdale resident, as she came to pay her respects on Monday at the memorial established for Clinkunbroomer at on the corner of Sierra Highway and East Avenue Q.
The Association for Los Angeles Deputy Sheriff’s is collecting donations for the Clinkunbroomer family through their Cops and Relatives Emergency Support (C.A.R.E.S.) Foundation at alads.org/Donate.
District Attorney George Gascón announces that Kevin Eduardo Cataneo Salazar has been charged with LA County Sheriff Deputy Ryan Clinkunbroomer’s murder as Sheriff Robert Luna comforts Brittany Lindsey, Clinkunbroomer’s fiancé and his mother Kim in Los Angeles on Wednesday, September 20, 2023. (Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
Brittany Lindsey, who got engaged to Clinkunbroomer just days before he was killed, called him “the best guy I’ve ever met.”
Appearing at a downtown Los Angeles news conference with District Attorney George Gascón and Sheriff Robert Luna on Wednesday, Lindsey thanked the law enforcement community “for everything you’ve done for our family the last few days.” She also offered thanks to “anyone who helped solve this case.”
Fighting back tears, her voice wavered as she talked about her husband to be. “He was so thoughtful and caring, and everyone who met him or knew him, loved him. I’m so happy I was able to love him. It was not long enough. I couldn’t wait to start our lives together.”
She added: “Ryan, I miss you and I love you so much. I don’t know how to live without you and I didn’t ever want to imagine it. Now look down on all your brothers and sisters in blue, keep them safe so this never happens to anyone else. Protect them and watch over them as they continue to serve their community.”
Related links
Man accused of killing deputy in Palmdale pleads not guilty due to insanity
‘That’s just not right’: Palmdale reels in wake of deputy slaying
Suspect in killing of LA County deputy battled mental illness, hallucinations, family says
Ryan Clinkunbroomer is LA County Sheriff’s 69th deputy to be gunned down, according to memorial site
Here’s how to help the family of slain LASD Deputy Clinkunbroomer