The father of Aaron Luther, the gunman who fatally shot a California Highway Patrol officer, expressed his support for law enforcement following the tragic incident. The shooting occurred on Monday, August 12, 2019, in Riverside, California.
According to reports, CHP motor officer Andre Moye, Jr., 34, stopped Aaron Luther, 49, of Beaumont, Calif., who was driving a white GMC pickup truck, on an overpass to Interstate 215. While Officer Moye was completing paperwork to impound the vehicle, Luther, who was not restrained, allegedly retrieved a rifle and opened fire. Despite being fatally wounded, Officer Moye managed to call for backup. Two responding officers were also shot in the leg before police fatally shot Luther.
Officer Moye was transported to a hospital but succumbed to his injuries. He had been with the CHP for approximately three years, serving as a motor officer for about a year.
Luther’s criminal history included convictions for disturbing the peace, vandalism, battery, stalking, unlawful possession of a firearm, assault with a deadly weapon, and corporal injury on a spouse. He had also served time in state prison for attempted second-degree murder, first-degree burglary, and multiple counts of second-degree burglary. He was paroled in 2004 and discharged from parole in 2007. As a convicted felon, he was prohibited from possessing firearms. His father, Dennis Luther, told KTLA he was unsure how his son obtained a gun.
Dennis Luther acknowledged his son’s struggles with drugs, depression, and pain from knee injuries that prevented him from working his construction job. He also mentioned marital problems, which his son’s wife, McKenzie Luther, addressed, stating that while they had problems, her husband had expressed his love for her and their children the night before the shooting.
Dennis Luther emphasized his support for law enforcement, stating, “We’re standing behind law enforcement. I can’t imagine a world without police. It would really be a dog eat dog situation. We’re prayin’ … As a matter of fact I said a prayer for the policeman before I did for my son.”
He further stated that his son’s actions were not justified, saying, “No one deserves what happened to them,” and “if (Aaron) went and did that, he got what he deserved. You don’t go doing that kind of stuff and expect to walk home.”
CHP Inland Division Chief Bill Dance described Officer Moye as an “outstanding officer” dedicated to public service. “His mother told me this was his dream job and he loved going to work,” Dance said. “It’s what he always wanted to do.” The officer is survived by his wife, mother, father, stepfather, two brothers, two sisters and a large extended family, Dance said.
McKenzie Luther stated that her husband called her after being pulled over for driving alone in the carpool lane and receiving tickets for an expired license and no registration. She was on her way to pick him up when the shooting occurred. A bullet struck her vehicle’s windshield while her children were inside. Aaron Luther had helped her raise eight children, two of whom were his biological children, according to the Press-Enterprise.
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Governor Gavin Newsom ordered flags at half-staff at the state Capitol in Sacramento in honor of Officer Moye. Riverside Police Chief Sergio Diaz stated that authorities did not have a motive for the shooting. Dennis and McKenzie Luther suggested that Aaron Luther might have been seeking “suicide by cop.”
Regardless of his disposition, he proved to be more than “suicidal.” He was also a homicidal gunman. Just ask the family of Officer Moye.
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