LASD Deputy Ryan Clinkunbroomer Laid To Rest

The funeral was held today for Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputy Ryan Clinkunbroomer, who was fatally shot almost three weeks ago in an ambush-style killing. He was shot while parked at a red light in a marked police vehicle near the Palmdale sheriff’s station.

Sheriff Robert Luna and hundreds of members of the sheriff’s department, along with local, state and federal law enforcement agencies, joined Clinkunbroomer’s family and friends for the service at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in downtown Los Angeles. Archbishop Jose H. Gomez presided over the service.

The Rev. Vaughn Winters of the Saint Kateri Tekakwitha Church in Santa Clarita, which the Clinkunbroomer family has been a part of since the beginning of the parish, said, “Ryan was also taught the value of service by his family.”

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Winters recalled that even as a 5-year-old, Clinkunbroomer wanted to follow in his father’s and grandfather’s footsteps and join the sheriff’s department.

Luna underscored the service of the Clinkunbroomer family, which served law enforcement in some capacity for the last 86 years. Ryan Clinkunbroomer’s father Mike is a retired lieutenant with LASD; his mother, Kim, was a matron and law enforcement technician; his grandfather, Alan, retired as a captain from the sheriff’s department.

Ryan Clinkunbroomer’s great grandfather also retired as a captain after working in the sheriff’s department from 1937 to 1968.

“It is over 86 years of unbroken service and 121 years of combined years of service, that's this family,” Luna said. “But we're not done yet. Chad, his brother, is currently serving the Ventura County sheriff's department.”

Luna described Ryan Clinkunbroomer as a leader and always ready to lend a helping hand.

“Ryan was everything we looked for in a deputy sheriff — integrity, a passion to serve, high emotional intelligence and a heart of a guardian and yes, when needed, an absolute warrior,” he said. “Ryan didn't have a mean bone in his body and he always had a positive attitude, motivating those around him to make them better.”

Sheriff's Capt. Josh Bardon of the Palmdale station remembered the slain sheriff’s deputy as one of the “best and brightest.”

“[He] always had a smile on his face and loved a good laugh,” he said.

A family’s tearful goodbye

Clinkunbroomer’s fiance, Brittany Lindsey, spoke of how she went from planning a wedding to planning a funeral. They were engaged four days prior to the shooting.

“Sept. 16 is a day I love and hate. I hate this day, because two years after our first date on Sept. 16, I lost him,” she said. “I remember the day so vividly. Just hours before Ryan left me, we were in the kitchen of our home talking about how many people we are going to invite to our wedding. Thirty minutes before he left us. I was texting him about touring wedding venues. I never got a text back.”

Her engagement in Newport Beach was the “most perfect day” where friends and family members jumped out from behind a rock to surprise the happy couple after Clinkunbroomer got down on one knee to pop the question.

“I remember the day after our engagement asking if he just wanted to go elope right then and there. And he said yes, if that's what I wanted. We were both so excited as we talked about our future,” Lindsey said.

Clinkunbroomer’s father spoke with his wife by his side.

“We're not saying goodbye, Ryan. But we're saying thank you. I'm saying thank you, Ryan, for making me a better human being. Thank you for your infectious, never ending smile and laughter. Thank you Ryan for your love of life,” he said.

Colleagues share their memories

Clinkunbroomer’s fellow deputies Zachary Corrales, Zachary Gregg and Andrew De La Rosa from the Palmdale station also spoke at the service.

“When I hear your name, I'm going to think about you walking into the station, wearing your rainbow sandals, even if it's 40 degrees out, I'll smile. When I think about you rubbing sunscreen on your bald head during summer. But most of all, I'm going to smile because you were my friend,” Corrales said.

Gregg called Clinkunbroomer his best friend and one of his favorite people, while De La Rosa said the bond he had with him, he doubts he will have with someone else.