Three California Highway Patrol (CHP) officers were shot — one fatally — in Riverside on Monday night in what officers called a “long and horrific gun battle.”
CHP Officer Andre Moye Jr., 33, was conducting a traffic stop of a suspect driving a truck, who has since been identified as Aaron Luther, when he decided to impound the vehicle, ABC 7 Los Angeles reported, citing police.
Luther — a married 49-year-old father of two from Beaumont — pulled a rifle from inside his truck and began firing at Moye while he was making arrangements for a tow truck and filling out paperwork.
RIVERSIDE SHOOTOUT: Family members have identified the suspected gunman in deadly gun battle with CHP as Aaron Luther, a Beaumont resident https://t.co/jeAs0AXoJX pic.twitter.com/hbzX7wlhAI
— ABC7 Eyewitness News (@ABC7) August 13, 2019
Three additional CHP officers, along with three deputies, arrived at the scene and continued a gun battle with the suspect, who managed to shoot and seriously injure two other officers, including one who is in critical condition, before he was shot dead.
“It was a long and horrific gun battle,” Riverside Police Chief Sergio Diaz said, according to ABC 7. “And it resulted in a very extensive crime scene.” (RELATED: NYPD Cops Doused With Water, Struck In String Of Assaults — Officer Unions Are Infuriated)
Moye was rushed to a hospital in Moreno Valley, where he was pronounced dead. He was married and had been an officer for about four years, according to his family.
SLAIN OFFICER SALUTED: Officers from across the Inland Empire lined up to salute CHP Officer Andre Moye, who was killed in a shootout yesterday on the 215 Freeway in Riverside. https://t.co/PVyZHbCnQE pic.twitter.com/1NKDVCant7
— CBS Los Angeles (@CBSLA) August 13, 2019
“I am devastated by the tragedy that unfolded earlier in Riverside,” CHP Commissioner Warren Stanley said on Twitter. “Tonight, I mourn the loss of one of our own, CHP Officer Andre Moye, who was killed during a shootout following a traffic stop. Prayers go out to all, including the responding officers injured in the shooting.”
I am devastated by the tragedy that unfolded earlier in Riverside. Tonight, I mourn the loss of one of our own, CHP Officer Andre Moye, who was killed during a shootout following a traffic stop. Prayers go out to all, including the responding officers injured in the shooting.
— Warren Stanley (@CHPCommissioner) August 13, 2019
Luther’s father told Eyewitness News that Luther was an ex-con who had served time in prison for attempted murder.
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.