Recently, a tragic event occurred in Palmdale. Deputy Ryan Clinkunbroomer has died from a gunshot wound while on duty. He was shot while in his vehicle and died from his injuries on Saturday, September 16. The suspect in custody for shooting and killing Clinkunbroomer is Kevin Salazar after tips of his location were reported by the public, motivated by a quarter million dollars in reward money offered. Salazar had resisted arrest by barricading himself in his home. Later, he was taken into custody by force after a few hour-long stand-off on Monday morning, September 18. 

According to his family, Salazar was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia five years ago. They believe he could have been having an episode when he shot Deputy Clinkunbroomer, claiming that the police had to be called multiple times because of his schizophrenic episodes in the past. Along with the supposed gun used to shoot Deputy Clinkunbroomer, deputies found numerous other weapons in the Salazar house during their search.

The death of Clinkunbroomer leaves behind a mourning fiance and one less member of the Palmdale Sheriff’s Department. The sheriff’s department and Salazar’s family support the grieving family, wishing this event hadn’t happened.

At this time, there has not been a motive released, but some believe it was an act of gang violence against the police. Salazar claims he is not guilty of the murder, stating that he committed the front due to schizophrenia. Whether or not his claim is valid, he took the life of a young deputy and a soon-to-be husband. 

With the recent death of a Palmdale deputy and the busy nature of Lancaster’s understaffed Sheriff’s station, it seems time for more law enforcement support in Lancaster and Palmdale. Lancaster’s Mayor, R. Rex Parris, proposed a new Lancaster police department to help with these recent issues and to help lower the crime rates overall. This new department will cost around 10 million dollars to establish and support. He and many others hope the new police department will provide additional support for the Sheriff’s station and the city by reducing crimes such as theft. However, some believe a new police department will just cause more harm to the city instead of providing potential benefits. Other Lancaster citizens worry the police department will just be a place for criminals to enact more violence against officers and deputies like we saw last weekend. Of course, this is all just worry and speculation. We will only know the outcome when it is officially established in 2024.