He Called His Wife for a Ride, Then Shot Officer Dead

Investigators are trying to figure out why a California Highway Patrol officer was shot and killed during a traffic stop in Riverside, California, Monday night. Andre Moye, 33, had pulled over a pickup truck driven by Aaron Luther, 49, around 5:30pm and was doing paperwork to impound the vehicle when Luther reached inside, pulled out a rifle, and shot Moye, the AP reports. Moye was able to call for backup before he died, and responding officers engaged in a "long and horrific gun battle" that left two other officers with serious gunshot wounds, two civilians with minor injuries from shrapnel or debris, and Luther dead, Riverside Police Chief Sergio Diaz said. The two injured officers are expected to survive. It's still not clear why Moye pulled over the truck or why Luther, who has a criminal record including a 1994 conviction for attempted murder, opened fire.

Luther's father tells KABC his son was dealing with marital problems, knee pain, and depression. He added, per USA Today, that as a convicted felon his son shouldn't have had access to a gun. "“He lived for his kids. That’s what motivated him," his father said of Luther's two children and a stepchild, adding that he was trying to get his life together. "So I don’t know what overcame him. I mean, I wish I did know." He says Luther had called his wife for a ride home before the gunfight; when she arrived, he says, the tow truck was there and she heard the bullets being fired; one even went through her own car's windshield. CHP Chief Bill Dance said Moye, who had been an officer for four years, was "outstanding" at his job. "His mother told me this was his dream job and he loved going to work," he said. "It's what he always wanted to do." (More California Highway Patrol stories.)