Officer Richard D. Duvall, Sr.

Richard D. Duvall, Sr.

Officer Richard Duvall was shot and killed while making a traffic stop for a speeding motorist on Highway 66, half a mile south of U.S. 395.

Unbeknownst to Officer Duvall, the driver was an escaped convict who had just robbed a market. As he approached the vehicle, the suspect opened fire. He was found with two bullet wounds, and his gun was still holstered. His patrol car with lights on was still running.

The suspect was captured six days later after a gunfight with San Luis Obispo County deputies at a Shell Beach motel. He was convicted of first-degree murder and executed in San Quentin's gas chamber on November 3, 1961. He was suspected to have had an accomplice, but they were never found.

Officer Duvall's death resulted in the California Highway Patrol requiring two officers to ride together during the midnight shift.

Officer Duval was a United States Marine Corps veteran and had served with the California Highway Patrol for two years. He was survived by his expectant wife and daughter. His son was born over four months after his death.

In 2010, a portion of State Highway Route 15 in the city of Victorville was designated as the "CHP Officer Richard D. Duvall Memorial Highway."