Man accused of killing LA County sheriff’s deputy charged with murder
A man accused in the ambush-style fatal shooting of a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department deputy in Palmdale over the weekend was charged with murder Wednesday.
Kevin Salazar, 29, entered dual pleas of not guilty and not guilty by reason of insanity in the killing of Deputy Ryan Clinkunbroomer, 30.
He also faces special circumstances of murder committed by lying in wait, murder committed by firing from a car and personal use of a firearm, a .22-caliber revolver, according to the criminal complaint.
Salazar allegedly ambushed and shot Clinkunbroomer as the deputy sat at a red light near the intersection of Sierra Highway and Avenue Q. Clinkunbroomer was rushed to the Antelope Valley Medical Center where he died from his injuries.
He was arrested Monday after a standoff with authorities at his family’s Palmdale home.
A key piece of evidence in the case is a video showing a car pulling up to Clinkunbroomer’s patrol vehicle just before the shooting.
Salazar’s family said he struggled with mental health issues, including schizophrenia, that were exacerbated by not taking his medication.
The Sheriff’s Department later confirmed that on the same day Clinkunbroomer was killed, two people reported separate road rage incidents involving Salazar.
A procession for Clinkunbroomer from the Medical Examiner’s Office to a mortuary was held late Wednesday morning.
The deputy joined LASD’s Palmdale station in 2018 and served as a field training officer for nearly two years. He had gotten engaged four days before being killed.
District Attorney George Gascón and Sheriff Robert Luna are expected to formerly announce the charges against Salazar during a news conference Wednesday afternoon.