Fallen Deputy Ryan Clinkunbroomer remembered as an "Outsanding deputy sheriff for LA County"
Hundreds of law enforcement personnel filled the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels for the Los Angeles County sheriff's deputy who was gunned down in his patrol vehicle last month near the Palmdale sheriff's station.
Ryan Clinkunbroomer, a 30-year-old, third-generation deputy who was only recently engaged to be married, will be laid to rest in a private ceremony following the Thursday morning Mass.
Clinkunbroomer was shot Sept. 16 while sitting in his patrol car at a traffic light near the station. Video from the scene showed a dark-colored sedan pulling up behind his patrol SUV, then slowly pulling alongside the driver's side of the deputy's vehicle, pausing, then driving away.
Sheriff's officials said a good Samaritan stopped to render aid after the shooting and the wounded deputy was taken to the hospital in grave condition. He was pronounced dead that night.
Speakers at Thursday's service include LA County Sheriff Robert Luna; fellow deputies Zachary Corrales, Zachary Gregg and Andrew De La Rosa; sheriff's Capt. Josh Bardon of the Palmdale station; Brittany Lindsey, Clinkunbroomer's fiancée; and Michael Clinkunbroomer, the slain deputy's father.
"Ryan excelled in what I believe is one of the most challenging of professions. You see when all other systems fall short, when people fall through the cracks, when no one else will respond, we in law enforcement fill those gaps, every day," said Luna during the ceremony.
"Ryan was everything we look for in a deputy sheriff. Integrity, a passion to serve, high emotional intelligence and a heart of a guardian, and yes when needed, an absolute warrior."
Luna continued to say Ryan didn't have a mean bone in his body, and was positive and motivating to those around him. "He treated everyone he encountered fairly, no matter what the situation was, while being known as one of the hardest-working deputies at the Palmdale station," said Luna.
Brittany Lindsey became engaged to Clinkunbroomer just four days before his death. She tearfully spoke at the service, wondering how she went from planning a wedding to planning a funeral on the same day.
"September 16th is a day I love and hate. I hate this day because two years after our first date on Sept. 16, I lost him," said Lindsey.
"I remember the day so vividly. Just hours before Ryan left me, we were in the kitchen of our home talking about how many people we were going to invite to our wedding. Thirty minutes before he left us, I was talking to him about touring wedding venues. I never got a text back."
Clinkunbroomer's alleged killer, Kevin Eduardo Cataneo Salazar, 29, of Palmdale, was arrested two days after the killing, following a standoff at his family's home. He was charged with murder and has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity.
