Michael and Kim Clinkunbroomer, the parents of Ryan Clinkunbroomer, a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputy who was shot and killed in Palmdale in September, plan on suing the county accusing the sheriff’s department and county officials of knowingly endangering the lives of law enforcement members by forcing deputies to work excessive hours and shifts, according to media reports Tuesday.
The parents of Clinkunbroomer filed a government claim Monday and allege mandatory overtime hours caused their son to become too fatigued and unable to defend himself, NBC 4 is reporting.
“Disregarding the safety of his troops, Sheriff Luna continues to force his deputies work mind-numbing overtime resulting in Ryan’s death and the likely death of other deputies,” the claim said.
The sheriff’s department did not respond to questions about the lawsuit but released a statement from Sheriff Robert Luna.
“The senseless ambush murder of Deputy Ryan Clinkunbroomer was the epitome of evil and the Department continues to mourn his death,” the statement said.
Clinkunbroomer, a 30-year-old, third-generation deputy, was shot Sept. 16 while sitting in his patrol car at a traffic light near the station at Sierra Highway and East Avenue Q.
Video from the scene shows a dark-colored sedan pulling up behind the patrol SUV, then slowly pulling alongside the driver’s side of the deputy’s vehicle, pausing, then driving away.
Sheriff’s officials said a good Samaritan stopped to render aid after the shooting and the wounded deputy was taken to Antelope Valley Medical Center in grave condition. He was pronounced dead that night.
Kevin Cataneo Salazar, 29, pleaded not guilty to a single charge of murder at an initial court appearance earlier this month. Jail records show he is being held with no bail and is scheduled to appear at a preliminary hearing in January.
Sheriff’s deputies in tactical gear and armored vehicles — working off tips from the public — descended on Salazar’s family home on Sept. 18, initiating a standoff that finally ended when Special Enforcement Bureau personnel flushed him out with “chemical agents,” Luna said at a news conference.
Luna said “numerous firearms” were also recovered following the arrest, and that deputies seized a dark-colored sedan that was believed to be linked to the killing.
Luna said Clinkunbroomer was “murdered, ambushed by a coward.”
But Salazar’s mother and sister told reporters he is mentally ill.
“My brother, he’s getting called a coward,” Salazar’s sister, Jessica, told reporters Monday. “He wasn’t in his right state of mind.”
“I do want you guys to know that my brother did have schizophrenia,” she said. “He has paranoia. He heard voices. We’re not justifying, we don’t know if he did (the shooting), if he did not. We are not justifying anything. We feel for the family. It hurts.
“… Nobody wishes to go through that. There are a lot of people that know, have family members with the same situation will understand, will understand how it is so hard to want to help a loved one and knowing that their mind is not at the right state of mind.”
She said her family is praying for the Clinkunbroomer family, but added there are “two sides to the story.”
“Just please, don’t punish him like if he was a regular person. He’s sick,” she said.
Luna’s mother, Marle Salazar, also told reporters her son was mentally ill and had stopped taking his medication, but they were unable to get him the help that he needed. She told the Los Angeles Times the family called sheriff’s deputies at least twice because he refused to take his medication, but she was told there was nothing they could do.
She also told the paper that her son was never violent or aggressive toward anyone else, but tried twice to take his own life because of the persistent voices he would hear in his head. She said her son was acting normally Saturday night at home after the shooting occurred.
She also said she was unaware her son owned any firearms, but said an investigator told her that he had legally purchased a weapon. It was unclear how someone with mental illness was able to purchase a gun.
Prosecutors declined to discuss details behind Salazar’s alleged purchase of the weapon or his alleged mental illness.
“We believe the suspect in the case … did purchase a firearm in the weeks before the crime occurred, but that’s all we can say,” Deputy District Attorney Michael Blake said.
Gascón and Luna declined to delve into any specifics of the case, saying they did not want to jeopardize the prosecution. There has been no indication of a possible motive for the killing.
Luna said earlier that tips from the public led investigators to Salazar. The Times reported that a man who had allegedly been involved in a road-rage confrontation with Salazar was among those who contacted authorities, but Luna and Gascón declined to address that issue Wednesday.
Clinkunbroomer had gotten engaged four days before he was killed. His fiancée, Brittany Lindsey, attended a news conference alongside Gascón, Luna and Clinkunbroomer’s parents, brother and sister shortly after the shooting.
Fighting back tears, Lindsey said, “First of all, I want to thank each and every officer from the bottom of my heart. Thank you for everything you’ve done for our family the last few days. I also want to say thank you to anyone who helped solve this case.
“Ryan was the best guy I’ve ever met. He was so thoughtful and caring, and everyone who met him or knew him, loved him. I’m so happy I was able to love him. It was not long enough. I couldn’t wait to start our lives together. We were just engaged, planning to get married and start a family. Ryan, I miss you and I love you so much. I don’t know how to live without you and I didn’t ever want to imagine it. Now look down on all your brothers and sisters in blue, keep them safe so this never happens to anyone else. Protect them and watch over them as they continue to serve their community. Until we meet again.”