A California hospital employee who had been trying to start a family with his wife through IVF was killed when a fleeing driver struck him during his lunch break, police said.
Peter Mullis, 42, was in a marked crosswalk in Riverside, roughly 54 miles from Los Angeles, when officers carried out a traffic stop nearby, according to the Riverside Police Department.
Police said the driver, 62-year-old Gene Cunningham, initially pulled over but then suddenly sped away “at a high rate of speed” as officers chased after him on foot.
As Cunningham fled, authorities said, he hit Mullis, an X-ray technician at the nearby Kaiser Permanente Medical Center, while Mullis was crossing the street.
Officers immediately ended their pursuit and rushed to provide aid to Mullis before he was taken to a hospital, where he later died from his injuries, officials said.
His devastated family said Mullis was likely either leaving for lunch or returning from his break when he was struck, KTLA 5 reported.
Cunningham escaped the area but was found and arrested the following day. He was booked on suspicion of murder and felony hit-and-run resulting in death. Police said he also had two outstanding felony warrants and “has an extensive criminal history.”
Mullis’ death came at a deeply hopeful moment for his family, as he and his wife, Layla Mullis, were preparing for the possibility of having a baby through IVF.
Peter Mullis, 42, was killed in a hit and run on Monday after Gene Cunningham, 62, sped away from police during a traffic stop
Mullis was in the process of trying to have a baby with his wife through IVF. He was a an X-ray technician at Kaiser Permanente Medical Center
‘We did two egg retrievals and the second retrieval, it was successful, so now we have a male embryo and a female embryo in the implant. The implant date is August 17,’ Layla told the outlet through tears.
The two of them would have celebrated their 11th wedding anniversary in November, she said.
Layla said she still plans to have his child even though things now remain uncertain without her husband.
According to the widow, the couple relied on her husband’s healthcare, but that will likely end in the fall.
‘It’s the only physical part I will have of him and I want to try and go forward with them,’ she said of the embryos.
She has remembered her loving husband as someone who enjoyed working in the healthcare field and bringing joy to those around him.
Layla also said two of their favorite things to do together were go to Disneyland and Renaissance fairs.
‘Not many people get to meet their soulmates, but I actually did,’ Layla told the outlet.
Cunningham got away but was located and arrested the next day and booked for murder and felony hit-and-run resulting in death. He had two outstanding felony warrants and ‘has an extensive criminal history,’ police said
Layla also said two of their favorite things to do together was go to Disneyland and Renaissance fairs
A memorial has since been set up outside the hospital to honor Mullis.
A GoFundMe donation page has also been launched to help support his wife during this challenging time.
Before his death, Mullis ‘so deeply hoped and prayed’ that IVF would make them parents one day after struggling with fertility, the fundraiser read.
As of Thursday afternoon, more than $62,000 had been raised.
Cunningham remains in jail without bail.
The Daily Mail contacted the Riverside Police Department for comment.
