Law enforcement, civic leaders and civilians are mourning the slaying of Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy Ryan Clinkunbroomer, who was killed in an ambush shooting in Antelope Valley Saturday evening.
A large procession of first responders followed the transport of Clinkunbroomer’s body from Lancaster to the Coroner’s Office in Boyle Heights overnight.
Overpasses were filled with people paying their respects to the 30-year-old deputy who got engaged just four days ago.
Clinkunbroomer joined LASD’s Palmdale Station in 2018 and also served as a field training officer for a year-and-a-half.
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said that Clinkunbroomer comes from a family of LASD deputies, including his father and grandfather, and that the fallen deputy had “service…running through his veins.”
“I want to let our community know Deputy Clinkunbroomer left his family tonight to serve our community,” Luna said on social media. “He laid everything on the line to serve us. He wore a uniform just like other LASD deputies wear, driving in a police car, and he was senselessly murdered tonight.”
Clinkunbroomer was found unconscious in his police cruiser and suffering from gunshot wounds by a citizen around 6 p.m. near the intersection of Sierra Highway and Avenue Q in Palmdale.
The shooting was an ambush involving a suspect in a vehicle driving past Deputy Clinkunbroomer in the opposite direction when they fired at him. He was on duty and sitting in his squad car when the shooting took place.
A statement from L.A. County Supervisor Janice Hahn on social media states that she is “pledging all the county resources needed” to find the suspect or suspects. Additionally, she ordered all county flags to be flown at half-staff in honor of Deputy Clinkunbroomer.
Anyone with information is urged to contact the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500.