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A California man has been convicted in the drive-by ambush of a Los Angeles deputy shot and killed at a red light just steps from the sheriff’s Palmdale station in 2023.
Jurors found Kevin Salazar, 32, guilty of the murder of Deputy Ryan Clinkunbroomer Monday after 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 Fox News Digital. “That gives some solace. That gives some comfort.”
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Around 6 p.m. on Sept. 16, 2023, Clinkunbroomer pulled up to a red light down the street from the sheriff’s station in Palmdale. He was driving his marked car and wearing his uniform. As he waited for the light to turn green, another car pulled up alongside him – and a man inside shot him in the head.
Authorities said Salazar had followed Clinkunbroomer from the Palmdale Sheriff’s Station to the intersection less than a block away before opening fire with a .22 revolver. He sped off, and Clinkunbroomer was pronounced dead at a hospital.
Authorities found Salazar at his family’s home in Palmdale two days later and arrested him on murder charges after a standoff, part of which was caught on video.
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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.
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Despite the conviction, a motive remains unclear, according to the family’s attorney.
“As far as we know, there was no reason,” Gage told Fox News Digital. “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.
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“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.
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“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.
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