Hospital worker who was trying for baby via IVF with wife is mowed down by driver while on his lunchtime stroll
A California hospital worker who was trying to have a baby via IVF with his wife was killed after a man mowed him down during his lunch break, according to police.
Peter Mullis, 42, was walking in a marked crosswalk in Riverside – about 54 miles outside Los Angeles – when police conducted a traffic stop nearby, the Riverside Police Department said.
The driver, Gene Cunningham, 62, initially stopped the vehicle, but soon fled the scene ‘at a high rate of speed’ as officers pursued him on foot.
As he drove away, Cunningham struck Mullis, an X-ray technician at nearby Kaiser Permanente Medical Center, as he walked across the street.
Cops stopped their pursuit of the suspect and immediately rendered aid to the employee before he was transported to a hospital, where he died from his injuries, officials said.
His heartbroken family said that he was likely heading out for lunch or was just getting back when he was struck, KTLA 5 reported.
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.
Mullis’ sudden death happened just as he and his wife, Layla Mullis, were preparing to hopefully have a baby soon 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.
