A crash with a sheriff’s deputy while running errands before their wedding changed everything for this couple

Deputy Wilburn's patrol vehicle following the crash. (Riverside County Sheriff’s Office via CNN Newsource)

The lives of a young couple just weeks away from their wedding were shattered when an on-duty California sheriff’s deputy sped through a red light and slammed into their car as they ran errands, a lawsuit alleges.

Nine months later, the deputy involved has been charged in connection with the September crash in Beaumont that killed 21-year-old Gavin Hinkley and left his fiancée, 20-year-old Madeline Fox, with severe, life-altering injuries.

The charges come after investigators found the deputy was responding to a shots-fired call even though, moments before the collision, dispatchers appeared to have confirmed deputies were already at the scene, the suspect vehicle had left and no injuries had been reported.

Riverside County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Glynn Wilburn, 42, has been charged with gross vehicular manslaughter and felony reckless driving causing serious injury, the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office announced in a news release Thursday. Prosecutors are also seeking a more serious punishment due to the extent of injuries the victims suffered.

Wilburn has been placed on administrative leave, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office confirmed to CNN. A spokesperson for the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office said Friday a warrant had been issued for his arrest.

CNN has reached out to the deputy and his attorney for comment and has not received responses.

“Wilburn was responding with lights and sirens from Beaumont to reports of shots fired in Calimesa,” the district attorney’s office said. “While travelling on Cherry Valley Boulevard at speeds of approximately 100 m.p.h, Wilburn entered an intersection and collided with a civilian vehicle at approximately 71 m.p.h.”

“Moments before the collision, dispatch had confirmed there were no reported injuries, the suspect vehicle had left the scene, and deputies had already arrived at the location of the reported shooting,” the district attorney’s office said.

Prosecutors allege Wilburn drove with gross negligence, caused the death of one person, and inflicted great bodily injury on another person, which “caused the victim to become comatose due to brain injury or to suffer paralysis of a permanent nature,” according to the felony complaint filed by the district attorney’s office.

Hinkley was killed, and Fox survived with serious injuries in the incident, according to a report from the California Highway Patrol.

Wilburn had activated his emergency lights and siren when he ran a red light and broadsided Fox and Hinkley’s Tesla, according to the CHP’s report on the incident, which analyzed the crash site and the vehicles. The deputy was not wearing a seat belt and suffered injuries including “abrasions to the top of his head, swelling to the base of his neck, and complaint of pain to his left arm and left knee,” CHP said Wilburn told them in a statement.

In the final seconds before impact, investigators found Wilburn was attempting to avoid the collision but was unable to stop before the red light. Data from his patrol vehicle showed he turned the steering wheel to the right, took his foot off the accelerator and applied the brakes, slowing from about 98 mph to roughly 76 mph in the moments before the crash.

CHP investigators concluded Wilburn caused the crash by driving his Ford west on Cherry Valley Boulevard and failing to stop before entering the intersection against a red traffic signal.

“The negligence of Deputy Wilburn was the proximate cause of the death of Driver Hinkley and the injuries to Passenger Fox and himself,” the report said.

A love story that ‘deserved a lifetime’

Hinkley and Fox met in 2022 and quickly became best friends before falling into a love that was “effortless,” both of their families said in a statement to CNN.

They became official on Fox’s 18th birthday, when Hinkley surprised her with a dozen roses and asked her to be his girlfriend.

“From that moment on, they were rarely apart, spending their days riding horses and dirt bikes, off-roading, taking trips to the beach and river, and making cherished memories with family and friends,” the families wrote.

The pair had a connection that was unmistakable to everyone around them, they said, and a love story that “deserved a lifetime.”

“Gavin always had a way of making Madeline feel like she was the only person in the room, and together they brought out the very best in each other,” the families added. “They were adventurous, loyal, kind-hearted, and full of life, supporting one another through every challenge and encouraging each other’s dreams.”

Before the accident stole the future they had envisioned together for years, the pair was preparing to marry on October 25, 2025.

Lauren and Cory Hinkley, Hinkley’s parents, called the charges an “important step toward accountability for the preventable and reckless actions that took the life” of their son, according to a statement released by their attorneys.

“Gavin was more than a victim. He was our son, and he was a beloved brother, fiancé, grandson, nephew, cousin, and friend,” the parents wrote.

“He was kind, hardworking, and deeply loved by everyone who knew him. He had his entire life ahead of him — a future filled with dreams, plans, and a wedding to the woman he loved. That future was taken from him in an instant. Gavin should still be here.”

As Hinkley’s family and fiancée mourn the loss of a young man who still had his entire future ahead of him, prosecutors emphasized the scrutiny applied when criminal allegations involve an on-duty law enforcement officer.

“When a case involves an on-duty law enforcement officer, we have a responsibility to carefully evaluate the circumstances unique to that role, including the nature of the call, the officer’s response, and the legal standards that govern emergency vehicle operations,” Riverside County District Attorney Michael Hestrin told CNN in a statement.

If convicted as charged, Wilburn faces up to 14 years in prison, a spokesperson for the district attorney’s office told CNN. An arraignment date has not yet been scheduled.

Family files lawsuit against deputy, county, and the city

The criminal case comes as the victims’ families pursue a separate lawsuit filed in December and amended in April, alleging the crash and its aftermath were marked by a series of preventable failures.

“What happened to Gavin and Madeline was preventable. Riverside County Sheriff’s Deputy Glynn Wilburn was entrusted with significant authority and responsibility, and he understood the obligations that come with operating an emergency vehicle,” Madeline’s parents, Melissa and Jason Fox, said in a statement released by their attorneys.

“While law enforcement officers are granted certain statutory privileges, those privileges exist only when exercised with due regard for the safety of others. No badge, title, or position should place anyone above accountability, especially when reckless actions result in such devastating consequences.”

The lawsuit filed by the families names Wilburn, Riverside County, and the cities of Beaumont and Calimesa as defendants, alleging the intersection was dangerously designed and maintained, with inadequate sight lines caused by roadway geometry, vegetation and utility equipment. The plaintiffs contend the defendants failed to correct known visibility hazards that contributed to the crash.

A motion was filed by the attorneys representing the defendants on June 3 asking the judge to dismiss portions of the family’s lawsuit, arguing some of the claims are not legally supported. The motion does not address the core negligence and wrongful death claims stemming from the crash itself but seeks to dismiss claims related to emergency dispatch and allegations Riverside County officials failed to protect the victims after the collision.

The defendants’ attorneys argue the lawsuit does not contain enough specific facts to support allegations emergency dispatchers acted with “gross negligence” — a higher legal standard than ordinary mistakes or delays.

The families’ attorneys have not yet filed a response to the motion. A hearing for the motion is set for August 3.

The lawsuit also accuses emergency responders and dispatchers of mishandling the aftermath by prioritizing treatment and transport of the deputy over the couple, who were more seriously injured, delaying critical medical care.

The plaintiffs allege those delays worsened Fox’s injuries and contributed to Hinkley’s death. The suit seeks damages for Fox’s injuries, wrongful death and related losses.

In its response to the lawsuit, the city of Calimesa denied allegations it is also responsible for the crash, contending the plaintiffs have failed to show the intersection where the incident occurred constituted a dangerous condition of public property, according to court filings. The city also argues it was not responsible for the dispatchers or emergency responders involved in the incident and had no control over their actions, and it should not be held liable for any of their alleged mistakes.

“While no criminal charge can bring Gavin back or undo the devastating impact this tragedy has had on Madeline and both our families, today is a meaningful step toward justice,” Lauren and Cory Hinkley said. “Gavin’s life mattered. Madeline’s life matters. We will continue to honor Gavin’s memory, stand beside Madeline, and fight for the justice they both deserve.”

Fox’s parents echoed that sentiment, saying the case is about more than criminal charges — it is about accountability for a future they say was stolen from the young couple.

“At its core, this case is about justice. Gavin and Madeline deserved the opportunity to build the life they had planned together, and that opportunity was taken from them,” Melissa and Jason Fox said in their statement.

“As this case moves forward, we pray that the justice system does not fail them or our families. We hope this sends a clear message that those entrusted to protect the public must also be held accountable when their actions cause unimaginable harm.”

Despite “the severe and life-threatening injuries suffered by Madeline and Gavin,” the lawsuit says the company providing the ambulance service “attended to Wilburn first, and transported him first, and delayed and/or failed to timely render aid to the more severely injured victims, Madeline and Gavin.”