Inset: Gavin Hinkley and Madeline Fox (GoFundMe). Background: The patrol vehicle Riverside County Sheriff’s Deputy Glynn Wilburn was driving when authorities say he crashed into California couple Gavin Hinkley and Madeline Fox (KCBS/YouTube).
A California couple out handling wedding-related errands was hit by an on-duty sheriff’s deputy who allegedly sped through a red light at 100 mph and crashed into their vehicle — seriously injuring the future bride and killing her fiancé — as he headed to an emergency call that prosecutors say had already been cleared.
Riverside County Sheriff’s Deputy Glynn Wilburn, 42, was charged last week in connection with the September 2025 collision, the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office said. The charges include gross vehicular manslaughter, felony reckless driving causing serious bodily injury and an enhancement allegation tied to bodily injury.
According to a lawsuit brought by the families, Gavin Hinkley, 21, was pronounced dead at the scene, while his fiancée, Madeline Fox, 20, sustained “catastrophic” injuries as a result of what the filing describes as Wilburn’s “grossly negligent” and reckless actions.
“Wilburn was responding with lights and sirens from Beaumont to reports of shots fired in Calimesa,” the DA’s office said in a press release. “While traveling on Cherry Valley Boulevard at speeds of approximately 100 mph, Wilburn entered an intersection and collided with a civilian vehicle.”
Prosecutors said investigators determined that just before the crash, dispatchers had relayed that there were no reported injuries connected to the shots-fired call. The vehicle believed to be involved had already left the area, and other deputies had reached the reported shooting location.
“There’s no excuse for a cowboy cop to be barreling down a two-lane road through a red light,” attorney Spencer Lucas, who represents the families of Hinkley and Fox, said in an interview with the Los Angeles Times. “He was driving so far in excess of what would be reasonable,” Lucas added. “This tragic crash was completely preventable.”
The victims’ parents told the Times the young couple had their whole future before them, including “dreams, plans and a wedding,” according to the newspaper.
“Law enforcement officers are granted certain statutory privileges, those privileges exist only when exercised with due regard for the safety of others,” said Melissa and Jason Fox. “No badge, title, or position should place anyone above accountability, especially when reckless actions result in such devastating consequences.”
Prosecutors and police say that before the crash, Wilburn was informed by a dispatcher that deputies were already at the scene, there were no reports of injuries and the suspect was already gone. Wilburn suffered minor injuries in the crash while Hinkley and Fox “were left inside the wreckage,” according to Lucas.
Crash data shows that Wilburn “likely recognized” that the couple’s Tesla was a hazard, which caused him to brake to 71 mph right before colliding with it, according to a California Highway Patrol report. But it was too late, as he was still allegedly driving at 98 mph just seconds before slamming into them.
“Madeline and Gavin’s love story was altered forever when a Riverside County sheriff, going at a reckless speed, hit them leaving Madeline in critical condition and taking the life of Gavin just one month before their wedding,” a GoFundMe says. “This date has forever changed the lives of many.”
No arraignment date has been set for Wilburn.
