Los Angeles officials to offer $250,000 reward for information on death of sheriff’s deputy shot in his patrol car

By Josh Campbell, Nouran Salahieh and Ashley R. Williams, CNN

(CNN) — Authorities will be offering a $250,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons who shot and killed a Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy as he sat inside his patrol car, they announced Sunday.

Deputy Ryan Clinkunbroomer, 30, was found unconscious by a civilian in his patrol car around 6 p.m. Saturday near the sheriff’s station in Palmdale, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. Palmdale is about 60 miles north of Los Angeles.

The deputy, who was in uniform and on duty when he was shot, was pronounced dead at a local hospital, according to Los Angeles Sheriff Robert Luna.

“It should be unacceptable to everybody who lives in this community and really, communities across the country, that somebody would attack a deputy sheriff in that manner,” Luna said at a Sunday news conference. “It’s absolutely outrageous.”

The County of Los Angeles Board of Supervisors is expected to approve a $100,000 reward this week. That amount was matched by the City of Palmdale, and the Association for Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs added $50,000.

“It’s one of the highest ones I’ve seen,” Luna said of the reward. “But I’m challenging people’s character out there, to find this absolutely unacceptable and come forward.”

No suspect description was provided and it’s unknown who opened fire on the deputy.

Video that Luna said was widely circulated Saturday night showed Clinkunbroomer’s patrol car and a vehicle of interest – described as a 2006 to 2012 dark gray Toyota Corolla – driving next to the officer.

The department is asking the public to come forward if they have video that may have captured the shooting.

“Look at your video and make sure that you didn’t capture anything that could be the missing puzzle to apprehending the suspect,” Luna said. “I beg you. Somebody has information. Please make things right.”

Rich Pippin, president of the deputy sheriffs association, referred to Clinkunbroomer’s murder as an attack on the law enforcement profession.

“It was attack on the people, the very people to protect you and your loved ones,” Pippin said during Sunday’s news conference. “This was an attack on all of us.”

Authorities also said Sunday they have not yet identified a motive. The sheriff has said it appears to have been a targeted shooting.

“I think it was a targeted act based on what we know now, but we’re still in the extremely early stages of this investigation,” Luna said.

He added, “It could have been just the fact that he was representing the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department as one of our employees. We don’t know.”

“He was just driving down the street and for no apparent reason and we’re still looking into the specific reasons – somebody decided to shoot and murder him. I’m assuming at this point, because he was in uniform.” Luna said.

Clinkunbroomer, who transferred to the Palmdale sheriff’s station in 2018, had been with the department for eight years and was serving as a field training officer.

“Our deputy was a devoted family member and a cherished community member,” Luna said. “He was cowardly shot while working tirelessly to serve our community this evening.”

His father and grandfather both served in the sheriff’s department, Luna said. He had just gotten engaged four days ago.

“He was just starting his life,” the sheriff said.

Luna said Ryan was loved and adored.

“Service was running through his veins. He embodied the values of bravery, selflessness and was committed to justice,” Luna said in a Facebook post. “Our deputy was a devoted family member and a cherished community member.”

Saturday’s shooting comes three years after two Los Angeles deputies were shot ambush-style at a train station while sitting in their patrol vehicle. Surveillance video from the incident showed a gunman walking up to the passenger door of their squad car, opening fire and running away.

There have been 83 ambush-style attacks on law enforcement in 2023, resulting in 101 officers shot – 15 of them fatally, according to a September 5 report from the Fraternal Order of Police.

The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2023 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.

CNN’s Michelle Watson, Andy Rose and Lechelle Benken contributed to this report