Confrontation Leads to Shooting Death of Man by CHP Officer

INDIO – A man was shot and killed during a confrontation with a California Highway Patrol officer early Monday morning.

On Tuesday, the man was identified as Robert Shirar, 32, who had crashed into a metal railing on the center divider on the eastbound side of Interstate 10, east of Jefferson St., according to the Riverside County coroner. Shirar, an Orange County resident, was shot at 5:04 a.m. and died at 6:03 a.m. at Eisenhower Medical Center in nearby Rancho Mirage, according to coroner’s reports.

CHP officials have not released details about what led to Monday’s shooting. A toxicology report seeking information on whether or not Shirar was under the influence of drugs or alcohol could take several weeks.

Officers initially discovered Shirar underneath the Jefferson St. overpass near the crash site of the pickup truck he had been driving. Police did not say if Shirar was armed. Indio police spokesman Ben Guitron said there was a confrontation that led to one of two CHP officers shooting Shirar. Police are seeking witnesses to the confrontation, said Guitron, adding that the Indio police department and the CHP are conducting investigations into the shooting.

A CHP spokesman said both officers, whose names have not been released, have been placed on paid administrative leave. Neither officer suffered injuries in the confrontation or in the shooting. A police spokesman said Shirar died on his first wedding anniversary, and that he was identified as a business health care director in Irvine.

Read More:

mydesert.com: Man shot dead on I-10 recently charged with DUI

Press Enterprise: Driver fatally shot by CHP officer identified

Orange County Register: Orange man shot, killed by CHP officer