The family of Los Angeles Sheriff’s Deputy Ryan Clinkunbroomer, who was tragically killed in an ambush shooting in September, has filed a wrongful death lawsuit seeking $20 million in damages. The lawsuit claims that intentional staffing shortages and excessive mandatory overtime played a direct role in Clinkunbroomer’s death. Court documents reveal that there are currently 2,000 vacant deputy jobs in the sheriff’s office, which the family attributes to “historic executive mismanagement.”
According to the family’s attorney, Bradley Gage, Clinkunbroomer was “physically and chronically exhausted” after working over 100 hours of mandatory overtime per month. The family alleges that this exhaustion made him more vulnerable to the ambush shooting that took his life. During a press conference, Clinkunbroomer’s mother, Kim Clinkunbroomer, expressed her concern for the treatment of deputies and stated, “It can’t go on the way they’re being treated right now.”
The notice of claim published by FOX 11 Los Angeles accuses Sheriff Luna of disregarding the safety of his deputies by forcing them to work excessive overtime. The claim argues that this practice not only led to Clinkunbroomer’s death but also puts the lives of other deputies at risk. The claim seeks justice for the family and aims to prevent future tragedies.
The shooting occurred on September 16 when Clinkunbroomer was waiting at a red light in Palmdale. Another car pulled up alongside him, and a man inside shot him in the head. Two days later, the suspect, Kevin Salazar, was arrested on murder charges after a standoff at his family’s home in Palmdale.
Clinkunbroomer came from a family with a long history of working in law enforcement. His father served for decades in the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department, and his brother is currently employed in Ventura County. Clinkunbroomer was engaged to be married at the time of his death.
According to Gage, the county has deprived the sheriff’s department of funds for years, resulting in critically low staffing levels. More than 40% of late shifts at the Palmdale Station, where Clinkunbroomer worked, were being filled by officers on overtime. The attorney alleges that the county knew overworking deputies created unsafe conditions and previously had a policy restricting members from working more than 90 hours of overtime per month.
The lawsuit seeks to hold the county accountable for facilitating the tragic and needless death of Deputy Clinkunbroomer. The family’s attorney argues that the county’s failure to address staffing shortages and excessive overtime has created dangerous working conditions for deputies and compromised public safety.
In conclusion, the family of Deputy Ryan Clinkunbroomer has filed a $20 million wrongful death lawsuit, claiming that intentional staffing shortages and excessive mandatory overtime led to his murder in a tragic ambush shooting. The lawsuit seeks justice for the family and aims to shed light on the unsafe working conditions faced by deputies in the sheriff’s office.
