Police automobiles block off a road the place a sheriff’s deputy was shot whereas in his patrol automobile in Palmdale, Calif. on Sunday, Sept. 17, 2023.
Richard Vogel/AP
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Richard Vogel/AP
Police automobiles block off a road the place a sheriff’s deputy was shot whereas in his patrol automobile in Palmdale, Calif. on Sunday, Sept. 17, 2023.
Richard Vogel/AP
PALMDALE, Calif. — Authorities requested for the general public’s assist and supplied a $250,000 reward as investigators searched Sunday for the assailant who shot and killed a Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy as he sat in his patrol automobile at an intersection.
Deputy Ryan Clinkunbroomer, 30, died at a hospital after being discovered unconscious within the automobile whereas on obligation round 6 p.m. Saturday within the metropolis of Palmdale, Sheriff Robert Luna stated.
Luna stated he believed the capturing was a “focused assault.” However the motive, and whether or not Clinkunbroomer or the division usually was the goal, was not but identified.
“With out warning, he was murdered whereas serving our neighborhood,” an emotional Luna stated at a Sunday information convention throughout which he urged any potential witnesses to contact detectives. “Please, I urge you. Anyone has info. Make issues proper.”
This undated picture offered by Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Division reveals its Deputy Ryan Clinkunbroomer.
AP
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AP
This undated picture offered by Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Division reveals its Deputy Ryan Clinkunbroomer.
AP
The division launched grainy surveillance video of a dark-colored sedan that pulled alongside the patrol automobile within the moments earlier than the capturing. Luna stated investigators consider the “automobile of curiosity” is a grey Toyota Corolla manufactured between 2006 and 2012.
Clinkunbroomer was discovered close to the intersection of Sierra Freeway and Avenue Q in Palmdale by an individual Luna recognized as a “good Samaritan” who alerted personnel on the metropolis’s sheriff’s station.
The deputy was taken to Antelope Valley Medical Middle in Lancaster, the place he was handled for a gunshot wound and ultimately died.
“We will catch the one who did this,” Luna stated Saturday night time. “As a result of each useful resource that the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Division has to bear goes after you.”
California Gov. Gavin Newsom referred to as the killing “horrific, unconscionable, and surprising.” He ordered flags on the state capitol flown at half-staff in honor of Clinkunbroomer.
Clinkunbroomer, who transferred to the Palmdale station in July 2018, was a third-generation officer who adopted his grandfather and father into the sheriff’s division, Luna stated.
“On this time of mourning, we honor this legacy and ship our deepest sympathies to Deputy Clinkunbroomer’s fiancée, his family members, and the women and men of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Division,” Newsom stated in an announcement Sunday. “Deputy Clinkunbroomer’s devotion to neighborhood and nation won’t ever be forgotten.”
The sheriff stated his division was working carefully with representatives from the town of Palmdale, about 61 miles (98 kilometers) northeast of Los Angeles.
“Palmdale loves the sheriff’s deputies, and the deputies take excellent care of Palmdale and love our neighborhood again,” Mayor Laura Bettencourt stated on the information convention. “The person who did this can be a coward. and they are going to be caught.”
“It’s sickening, heartbreaking information,” Republican state Sen. Scott Wilk, who represents Palmdale, posted Saturday night on X, the platform previously referred to as Twitter.
A vigil for Clinkunbroomer was scheduled for Sunday night exterior the Palmdale sheriff’s station.
