Man trying to fulfill 'dream' of having a child with his wife through IVF gets mowed down and killed in crosswalk by parolee fleeing police stop: Cops

Left inset: Peter Mullis and his wife Layla Mullis (GoFundMe). Right inset: Gene Cunningham (Riverside Police Department). Background: The California intersection where Peter Mullis was allegedly mowed down and killed by Gene Cunningham while he was crossing the street in a marked crosswalk (KABC/YouTube).

A California man who was trying to fulfill his "dream" of having a child with his wife through in vitro fertilization was mowed down and killed in a marked crosswalk by a parolee fleeing a police stop, cops say.

Peter Mullis and his wife, Layla Mullis, were "in the midst of their IVF journey when their lives were forever changed" on Monday after Gene Cunningham, 62, plowed into Peter Mullis at an intersection in Riverside, according to police and a GoFundMe launched for Layla.

Cops tried to pull Cunningham over around 11:40 a.m. when he sped off and fatally hit Mullis, the Riverside Police Department says.

"[Cunningham] initially yielded but fled as officers approached the vehicle on foot," RPD officials wrote on Facebook. "[Cunningham] traveled eastbound on Magnolia Avenue at a high rate of speed. As the suspect entered the intersection at Park Sierra Avenue, he struck a pedestrian who was crossing in a marked crosswalk."

Officers immediately stopped after witnessing the collision and tried to render aid to Mullis, 42, until medical personnel arrived. Mullis, who worked at the Kaiser Permanente Riverside Medical Center, died at the scene.

According to the GoFundMe, Mullis "so deeply hoped and prayed" that his wife's "IVF journey" would one day make them parents. "Fulfilling that dream" is something Layla's family says she still wants to do.

"In addition to helping with expenses and everyday financial burdens, donations will also help Layla continue the IVF journey," the GoFundMe says. "Supporting Layla in fulfilling that dream is one way we can help carry forward the future they envisioned together."

Police say Cunningham had two outstanding felony warrants and is on parole for assault with a deadly weapon. He also has an "extensive criminal history" that includes convictions for being a felon in possession of a firearm and resisting arrest, according to RPD officials.

"On Tuesday, July 28, 2026, officers assigned to the METRO Team located and arrested Mr. Cunningham," the RPD post says.

Cunningham was booked into the Robert Presley Detention Center for murder and felony hit-and-run resulting in death. He is being held without bail.