{"id":83398,"date":"2026-08-24T22:06:35","date_gmt":"2026-08-25T05:06:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/?p=83398"},"modified":"2026-08-24T22:06:35","modified_gmt":"2026-08-25T05:06:35","slug":"man-convicted-of-2023-murder-of-los-angeles-county-sheriffs-deputy-ryan-clinkunbroomer-in-palmdale","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/?p=83398","title":{"rendered":"Man Convicted of 2023 Murder of Los Angeles County Sheriff\u2019s Deputy Ryan Clinkunbroomer in Palmdale"},"content":{"rendered":"

Kevin Eduardo Cataneo Salazar pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity; sanity phase to begin Wednesday<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

LOS ANGELES<\/strong> \u2013 A 32-year-old man was found guilty today of fatally shooting Los Angeles County Sheriff\u2019s Deputy Ryan Clinkunbroomer in broad daylight three years ago in Palmdale.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis brutal and senseless murder took the life of a dedicated deputy, leaving his family, colleagues and community to endure an unimaginable loss. We hope today\u2019s guilty verdict brings a measure of healing to Deputy Clinkunbroomer\u2019s family and loved ones,\u201d said Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman. \u201cWhile the trial now moves to the sanity phase, this verdict is an important step toward justice and accountability. I am deeply grateful to our Crimes Against Peace Officers prosecutors for their tireless work on this case and their continued commitment to Deputy Clinkunbroomer, his family and all those who loved him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFor nearly three years, we have stood firmly with Ryan Clinkunbroomer\u2019s family and with the dedicated men and women of our Palmdale Sheriff\u2019s Station. Throughout this time, we have remained steadfast in supporting this investigation and doing everything we can to assist the Los Angeles County District Attorney\u2019s Office in pursing justice and holding this individual accountable for the ambush murder of Ryan,\u201d said Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert G. Luna. \u201cToday\u2019s guilty verdict delivers that justice and accountability. While nothing can bring Ryan back to his family, his loved ones or our department family, we hope this verdict brings a sense of peace and closure to those who loved him and served alongside him. Ryan dedicated his life to service, proudly carrying on his family\u2019s legacy as a third-generation member of the Los Angeles County Sheriff\u2019s Department.\u00a0We will forever honor his service, his sacrifice and the badge he proudly wore.\u00a0Deputy Ryan Clinkunbroomer will never be forgotten.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jurors deliberated for about 2 \u00bd hours before finding Kevin Eduardo Cataneo Salazar (dob 7\/6\/94) guilty of first-degree murder and found true the special circumstance allegations of murder of a peace officer, lying in wait and firing from a vehicle. The panel also found true the special allegation that Salazar personally used a .22-caliber revolver to commit the crime.<\/p>\n

Salazar pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. The sanity phase of the trial will begin Wednesday in Department 101 of the Foltz Criminal Justice Center and will determine whether the defendant will be committed to state prison or state hospital.<\/p>\n

On Sept. 16, 2023, Salazar followed Clinkunbroomer, who was on duty, in his vehicle as the deputy left the Los Angeles County Sheriff\u2019s Palmdale Station.<\/p>\n

Less than a block away from the station, Salazar ambushed and fatally shot Clinkunbroomer then sped away. Clinkunbroomer was rushed to a nearby hospital where he died.<\/p>\n

Salazar was arrested two days later after an intensive search to find him.<\/p>\n

The case is being prosecuted by Deputy District Attorneys Michael Blake and David Ayvazian of the Crimes Against Peace Officers Division and investigated by the Los Angeles County Sheriff\u2019s Department.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Kevin Eduardo Cataneo Salazar pleaded not...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-83398","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-ca-local"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83398","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=83398"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83398\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":83399,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83398\/revisions\/83399"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=83398"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=83398"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=83398"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}