Officer killed and 2 wounded in shootout near Los Angeles-area freeway
Riverside, Calif. — A California Highway Patrol officer is dead, another in critical condition and a third has minor injuries after a shootout Monday that also killed the gunman, authorities said. Dozens of gunshots were fired near Interstate 215 in Riverside, east of Los Angeles.
CHP Assistant Chief Scott Parker told reporters at a Monday night news conference an officer who pulled over a white GMC pickup truck was filling out impound paperwork when the driver pulled a rifle of unknown caliber from the truck and began firing.
The officer was wounded but managed to call for help. He was airlifted to a hospital but succumbed to his wounds. The officer was identified as Andrew Moye, Jr.
"I am devastated by the tragedy that unfolded earlier in Riverside. Tonight, I mourn the loss of one of our own," CHP Commissioner Warren Stanley said in a tweet. A statement from the department said Moye was 34 years old.
Authorities said CHP officers, Riverside police and sheriff's deputies arrived and continued trading gunfire, with the suspect taking cover in the front of the pickup. Two other CHP officers were hit before the gunman was killed.
Police said they don't have a motive for the attack. It wasn't clear why the car was stopped.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom extended his condolences via Twitter, writing: Our hearts ache over the tragic loss of @CHP_HQ's own Officer Andre Moye — who will be remembered for his commitment to service and the community of Riverside County."
Riverside Police Chief Sergio Diaz told reporters officers' body cam video and civilian eyewitness accounts would be part of the investigation of the shooting. "It was a long and horrific gun battle," he said.
Video from the scene shows bullet holes in the front windows of two patrol cars and large holes blown in their back windows. What appeared to be an assault-style rifle was on the ground.
Two civilians were hurt — one was in another car and hit by flying glass that caused minor injuries, authorities said. The other civilian's injuries also were minor.
Jennifer Moctezuma, 31, of Moreno Valley told the Los Angeles Times that she was driving home with her 6-year-old twins when a bullet flew through her front windshield.
Charles Childress, 56, a retired Marine from Moreno Valley, was in the car behind her.
He led the family as they crawled to the bottom of a bridge to hide and none were harmed, the Times reported.
"He's my hero," Moctezuma said.
According to CBS Los Angeles, the scene outside the Riverside University Health System Medical Center was somber and emotional as the body of Officer Moye was brought out.
As the flag-draped casket was carried out, police officers lined up along the entrance to the hospital. Officers from different agencies across the Inland Empire stood watch and saluted Moye as his body was carried to the coroner's office in Perris.
At the hospital, officers remained alert despite the somber atmosphere. There were several officers in tactical gear, some in helmets with rifles drawn, others positioned on rooftops, to keep an eye out due to an unspecified threat, possibly from people associated with the suspect who was also killed. The suspect has not been identified.
Family members who came to the hospital say Moye used to be an electrician, but had dreamed of being a CHP officer since he was a kid. He had just graduated from the CHP Academy in 2017, and they say he was happier than he had ever been.
Moye is survived by his wife, parents and siblings.
