Los Angeles cop Ryan Clinkunbroomer is shot and killed while sitting in his patrol car: Footage shows 19 squad cars rushing to scene as gunman remains at large following ambush
- The 30-year-old deputy was engaged just four days prior
- He was ambushed while sitting in his patrol car Saturday evening
- Police are investigating a video circulating on social media for clues into his death
A sheriff’s deputy was ambushed and fatally shot in the head on Saturday while sitting in his patrol car in Palmdale, California.
Deputy Ryan Clinkunbroomer was only 30 years old. He had been engaged four days before his death and was a third-generation deputy whose father and grandfather also served with the force.
A passerby found him unconscious near Palmdale Sheriff’s Station around 6pm. He was taken to a hospital where he later died from his injuries.
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said that investigators were looking into a viral video to determine whether it was related to the deputy’s killing.
The video shows a patrol car stopping at a red light. A black sedan stops a few feet behind the car before pulling up to the driver’s side. After a moment, it peels off down the street as the patrol car rolls forward slightly and comes to a halt.
Deputy Clinkunbroomer had eight years of experience in the police force.
He transferred to Palmdale station in July 2018 and had been a field training officer for just under two years, training and supervising officers.
He had reportedly dropped a trainee off at the station before he was murdered.
Sheriff Luna said only ‘the best of the best’ became field training officers. He called the murder ‘senseless’ in a Facebook post.
‘From everything I know about Ryan, people absolutely loved and adored him,’ Luna wrote.
‘Service was running through his veins. He embodied the values of bravery, selflessness and was committed to justice.’
He vowed that the police force would find Clinkunbroomer’s killer, writing: ‘We will use all of our resources to bring the suspects responsible for the murder of Deputy Clinkunbroomer to justice.’
Social media videos show other patrol cars responding to reports of a deputy down.
Police blocked the roads surrounding the Palmdale Station, roping off the area with yellow tape, and could be seen talking to witnesses in aerial images.
Within the hour, rumors began to circulate that a deputy had been shot in the head and killed.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department posted that he had been taken to a local hospital at around 10.30pm on Saturday.
A press conference was held while the deputy received treatment. Sheriff Luna pleaded for the community’s help.
‘Somebody saw something. Somebody knows something,’ he said.
‘There is a family here at this hospital grieving an unimaginable loss. We need your help.’
Following Clinkunbroomer’s death, police and fire staged a large procession for the fallen officer stretching from Lancaster to the Coroner’s Office in Boyle Heights.
Colleagues and members of law enforcement also left messages in his honor.
In a Facebook post, Palmdale’s Sheriff Station said they had lost ‘one of their own’ and that the deputy ‘excelled at everything he did.’
‘He was very thorough in his investigations, genuinely cared for the community he served, and he was always willing to help out his partners any time they needed it,’ the post read.
‘We are numb with grief and are grasping to come to terms with the fact that he has left a very big void within our station family.
‘Rest easy, our Hero, our friend, we’ll take it from here.’
