Father of accused killer of CHP officer: ‘He was a desperate man,’ may have been seeking suicide by cop
Father of accused killer of CHP officer: ‘He was a desperate man,’ may have been seeking suicide by cop
by Josh Cain
The father of the man suspected of killing a California Highway Patrol officer in a wild freeway shootout Monday evening in Riverside said his son was “desperate” and may have been seeking his own death at the hands of police.
Dennis Luther, who said he’s the father of the suspected shooter, 49-year-old Aaron Luther of Beaumont, said his son was out of money, facing marital problems and couldn’t work a construction job because of pain in a knee.
“I think he just thought he didn’t have much to live for, might have been suicide by the police,” Luther told KTLA5 in a Tuesday morning interview. “It’s just unfortunate that he happened to hurt anybody but himself.”
Dennis Luther said he didn’t believe his son was targeting anyone.
Aaron Luther is accused of pulling out a large rifle and shooting at CHP officers after he was pulled over on the 215 Freeway near Eastridge and Eucalyptus avenues.
He killed Officer Andre Moye, authorities said, and injured two others before police shot him to death.
“If the police think this was a coordinated effort, I don’t believe that, knowing my son,” Dennis Luther said to KTLA. “He was on his own, and he was a desperate man.”
Moye was taken to Riverside University Health System Medical Center in Moreno Valley after the shooting. At around 11 p.m., a procession of CHP motorcycle officers escorted Moye’s body in a hearse to the Riverside County coroner’s office.
Trying to hold back tears, Dennis Luther said he was grieving for police, as well as his son.
“We’re standing behind law enforcement,” Dennis Luther said in his interview with the TV station. “I sent a prayer for the police before I did for my son. …
“I’m reminiscing now about when he was 8-years-old, when I bought him his first skateboard,” the father said.
All credit goes to Josh Cain
Originally published on https://www.dailynews.com