Roll of Honor
Incident
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.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife, daughter, parents, sister, brother, and grandmother.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-CA-2D2ED519- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Officer Maxwell gave the California Highway Patrol 5 years.
Thank you for your service to the people of California. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Officer Maxwell.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Officer Richard Alan Maxwell is one of 17,623 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 54.2% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In CA, 974 of 1,837 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 53% of this state's fallen. That is 1.2 percentage points below the national rate of 54.2%.
At California Highway Patrol, 71 of 233 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 30.5% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Richard Alan Maxwell's cause is highlighted.
How Richard Alan Maxwell Compares
Offender Outcome
Released in 2006
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Richard Alan Maxwell is highlighted in Jul.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. Richard Alan Maxwell was killed by shotgun.
Others Who Wore This Badge
232 officers from California Highway Patrol are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
