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The suspect accused of shooting and killing a Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy while he was in his patrol vehicle in Palmdale has been arrested, authorities confirmed.
Kevin Cataneo Salazar, 29, was taken into custody early Monday morning after barricading himself in a home for several hours, Sheriff Robert Luna said during a press conference.
Who is Kevin Cataneo Salazar mother, Marle Salazar?
Marle Salazar has been identified as the mother of Kevin Cataneo Salazar, the suspect accused of shooting and killing a Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy while he was in his patrol vehicle in Palmdale.
Although Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna called Kevin Cataneo Salazar a “coward” for shooting the deputy while he was stopped at a redlight Saturday near the Palmdale sheriff’s station, Salazar’s family blamed his mental illness for his actions.
“I want you to know that my son has schizophrenia and delusional perceptions and the police know this,” his mother, Marle Salazar, wearily told a throng of reporters in Spanish on Monday as they converged on her residence in the 37600 block of Barrinson Street. “They know my son is sick. And if they are going to judge him, then they need to judge him with the condition he has.”
Marle Salazar said she wasn’t minimizing Clinkunbroomer’s slaying, but added that if her son is responsible he likely committed the killing in a “moment of sickness.”
“I am not saying that if he did this, that it is OK,” she said. “The only thing I ask is for his illness to be recognized.”
Several times over the past four to six years, Marle Salazar said, she had summoned law enforcement to her home to help with her son. “When the police spoke with him, they said, ‘You know what, if you don’t want to take your medicine, then we cannot do anything to help,’ ” she recounted.
Kevin Cataneo Salazar sister reacts
Yessica Salazar has been identified as Kevin Cataneo Salazar’s sister
“My brother did have schizophrenia,” said Yessica Salazar, the suspect’s sister, outside the family’s Palmdale house on Monday. “He had paranoia. He heard voices.”
She said the family had taken Kevin Salazar to the hospital before and tried to get him help.
She said while his mental health issues did not justify the shooting and that she was praying for Clinkunbroomer’s family, she said her family wanted to give their side of the suspect’s story.
“Please don’t judge him as if he was a regular person,” Yessica Salazar said. “He is sick.”
