From the time he entered the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department academy to the day he was shot and killed, Deputy Ryan Clinkunbroomer was a role model, and quick to help anyone in need, his family and co-workers said at his funeral service on Thursday, Oct. 5.
Hundreds of law enforcement officers from around the state gathered at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Angels in downtown Los Angeles to remember the 30-year-old fallen deputy alongside his family and friends.
Some at Thursday’s somber ceremony wore black bands around their badges and nametags emblazoned with the word “Clink” — that was Clinkunbroomer’s nickname affectionally bestowed upon him by his colleagues at the Sheriff’s Palmdale Station, where he served for years.
The station is where Clinkunbroomer found his calling, speakers said Thursday, working as a field training officer bringing up the younger deputies. In that assignment, Clinkunbroomer was following in the footsteps of his father, grandfather and great grandfather, all of whom served with Sheriff’s Department, said Sheriff Robert Luna.
“He served calmly, with confidence and his actions were smooth and deliberate,” Luna said. “He treated everyone fairly, no matter what the situation was…. He would see and listen to people and sensed when someone wasn’t okay. He was comforting and encouraging.”
Clinkunbroomer was seated in his patrol SUV about 6 p.m. on Sept. 16 when a car pulled up and the driver shot him, then fled. Officials learned of the possible suspect’s identity after someone came forward after Sheriff Robert Luna spoke to the media hours after the shooting.
After a manhunt and an early morning standoff, the suspect was arrested the two days later. He was identified as Kevin Cataneo Salazar, 29, of Palmdale. Officials said they found multiple firearms inside the home.
The killing has reverberated through police and sheriff’s departments far and wide. Officers in full dress and deputies in their tan and green uniforms packed the pews of the cavernous cathedral Thursday. Officers from as far away as Northern California attended the ceremony, and dozens from around region were on hand to show their respects to Clinkunbroomer and his family.
They sat silently amid the cathedral’s stone pillars, the warm lighting reflecting off the cut stone walls and floors, until Los Angeles Archbishop José Horacio Gómez Velasco led them in a traditional Catholic responsorial psalm.
Luna saluted Clinkunbroomer’s casket before he spoke about the young deputy’s legacy at his beloved Palmdale station.
“It could be said Ryan didn’t have a mean bone in his body and a positive attitude, motivating those around him to be better,” Luna continued.
Colleagues remembered Clinkunbroomer as a leader and a man who cared for everyone around him, but also as a guy who showed up to the station wearing Rainbow sandals even if it was 40 degrees outside, or rubbing sunscreen on his head during the summer.
“He was the first person I’d call whenever I got stuck on a call,” Deputy Zachary Corrales said. “He was a role model to me because of how he carried himself.”
Deputy Andrew De La Rosa described Clinkunbroomer as “perfect when it came to patrol. He did everything right…and he was very smooth with what he did. Nobody had to correct his work. Nobody had to double-check his work and when you saw Clink, you knew it was going to be handled perfectly.”
But Clinkunbroomer also kept a good work-life balance, his family and colleagues said. He maintained friendships with classmates from West Ranch High School, inviting both high school and work friends over on Sundays to watch football.
“I never saw ‘Clink’ lose his cool except when the Dolphins lost or his (sports bets) didn’t hit,” said Corrales, a colleague at the Palmdale Station. “I’ll always appreciate the way he looked out for me.”
His father and his fiancee, Brittany Lindsey, both called Clinkunbroomer a hero, with his father, Mike, saying his son made him a better person. Lindsey said she may never understand why Clinkunbroomer was shot, but said “he left this world full of love.
“He loved his job,” she continued. “He went to work every day with a smile, and he was so proud to take care of his community. He’s a real hero.”
Mutiple colleagues talked of a FaceTime call they received from Clinkunbroomer after his first date with Brittany Lindsey. The couple had gotten engaged four days before Clinkunbroomer was shot.
The date of his death was two years to the day he and Lindsey met, she said.
“Sept. 16 is a day I both love and hate,” she said, adding that before he left for work that day, they were in the kitchen of their home discussing how many people they were going to invite to their wedding.
“In the span of an hour, I went from planning a wedding with the love of my life to being escorted to a helicopter to see Ryan in the hospital,” Lindsey said.
His father, Mike, remembered watching his son play baseball at 6 years old, when suddenly, Ryan turned at his position in left field and sat down.
“I was watching the gophers,” Ryan would tell his dad, Mike remembered.
Clinkunbroomer also played soccer as a child and ran cross country while at West Ranch High School. He graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in political science from Cal State Northridge and, shortly after graduating, told his dad he was going to take the test to enter the academy, Mike Clinkunbroomer said.
“Like everything Ryan touched, he shined,” Mike Clinkunbroomer said. “Ryan often spoke to Kim (his mother) and I that he loved working at the Palmdale Station. He had pride working along his partners. He held them in high esteem and he felt his calling to serve the community.”
Clinkunbroomer proposed to Lindsey along the beach in Newport Beach on Sept. 12. He hired a photographer to capture the moment and after popping the question, 20 to 30 friends and family jumped out to surprise Lindsey, Mike Clinkunbroomer said.
“I’d never seen Ryan so happy in his life,” he said.
Lindsey said they had talked about buying a house, a boat, how many kids the wanted as well as baby names.
She had sent him a text message about touring wedding venues not long after he left for work. She never got a response.
“Like every little girl, I dreamed about meeting the perfect guy, getting married and starting a family,” she said. “Unfortunately, I won’t be able to check all those boxes, but fortunately, I met the perfect guy.
“I can’t tell you how proud I am of you and how much you’ve inspired me to be a better person,” she continued. “I don’t know how I’m going to move forward without you here, but I promise to stay strong for you.”
Mike Clinkunbroomer said Thursday’s service was not a goodbye, but a thank you.
“Thank you, Ryan, for your love of life,” he said. “Your mother and I will always miss you. I’ll see you in heaven. You’re my hero.”
Law enforcement officials said they believe Salazar targeted the deputy because he was law enforcement; Salazar’s family said he suffered from mental-health issues, including schizophrenia and paranoia.
Salazar was charged with murder. He pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity at the Antelope Valley Superior Court and was being held in jail without the possibility of bail.
