Officer Richard Alan Maxwell

Richard Alan Maxwell

Officer Richard Maxwell was shot and killed as he made a traffic stop in front of the suspect's house.

As he was waiting for backup to arrive, the suspect and his father began attacking him. The father ran into the open garage to retrieve a shotgun, and while doing so, the suspect shot Officer Maxwell in the face and, as he sat on the driveway, was shot in the throat. CPR was administered, but he later died at a local hospital.

The father was sentenced to life, and the son, who was 16 years old at the time, was released after serving only a short jail sentence. On May 9th, 2006, the suspect was convicted of manslaughter during a retrial. He was sentenced to time served and released.

Officer Maxwell had served with the California Highway Patrol for five years. He was survived by his wife, daughter, parents, sister, brother, and grandmother.

He is buried in Hillcrest Memorial Cemetery, Bakersfield, California.