California Highway Patrol, California
End of Watch: Monday, November 24, 1969
Age: 28
Tour of Duty: 9 months
Badge Number: 7059
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: November 24, 1969
Weapon Used: Handgun; 9 mm
Suspect Info: Died in prison
Officer Ambers Shewmaker was shot and killed when he stopped a vehicle for speeding on I-10, near Apache Trail, east of Benning.
Unbeknownst to him, the car had been stolen and the driver was wanted for an earlier robbery in Riverside. As he was using his radio the suspect walked up beside his car and shot him point blank in the head. The suspect was apprehended 12 hours later after a high-speed chase in Palm Springs.
The suspect was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to death on March 14th, 1971. He subsequently died in prison in 2006.
Officer Shewmaker was a U.S. Army veteran and had served with the California Highway Patrol for nine months. In November 2014 the portion of the I-10 freeway where he was shot was dedicated to Officer Shewmaker.