Man found guilty in ambush-style slaying of newly engaged sheriff's deputy in Palmdale
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Set us as preferred Four days after proposing to the love of his life, third-generation Sheriff’s Deputy Ryan Clinkunbroomer was shot in the back of his head while sitting in a marked patrol car in Palmdale.Now, nearly three years after the deputy’s death, a guilty verdict has been reached against the man who carried out the ambush-style killing.On Monday, Clinkunbroomer’s family were joined in a courtroom by L.A.County Sheriff Robert Luna and Dist.
Atty.Nathan Hochman as jurors found Kevin Eduardo Cataneo Salazar, 32, guilty of murdering the deputy.
The jury also found allegations to be true that he deliberately lay in wait and committed a premeditated murder of a peace officer.Salazar and jurors are due back on court Wednesday for proceedings regarding his sanity at the time of the shooting, which will determine whether he is sent to state prison or committed to a state hospital.California Experts say the 29-year-old man accused of shooting a Los Angeles Sheriff’s Office deputy may have slipped through the cracks of California gun regulation after a mental health hospitalization.Hochman called Monday’s verdict an important step toward justice and accountability.“This brutal and senseless murder took the life of a dedicated deputy, leaving his family, colleagues and community to endure an unimaginable loss,” he said in a statement.
“We hope today’s guilty verdict brings a measure of healing to Deputy Clinkunbroomer’s family and loved ones.”Salazar’s attorney George Rosenstock said in a statement that it was not disputed that his client shot and killed Clinkunbroomer from a car.“The more difficult question of his legal sanity at the time of the offense will now be before the jury,” Rosenstock said.Clinkunbroomer was shot with a .22-caliber revolver in broad daylight on Sept.16, 2023, while waiti...