Lufino Reyes Mejorado, a 60-year-old Hispanic male known to friends as "Lou," was a beloved father, grandfather, and retired public servant. A U.S. Army veteran, he began a career with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation in 1988, working as a correctional officer at California State Prison, Solano until his retirement in 2018. His daughter, Lauren Bohanna, described him as a loving and kind family man who dedicated his life to serving others. "He would help you in any way that he can," she said. "You could always, always count on him to be there for you in your time of need.”
On the afternoon of December 6, 2021, Mejorado was killed in a road rage incident in Sacramento, California. The altercation began around 2:15 p.m. on Interstate 80 at Watt Avenue. According to prosecutors, another driver, David Perry, began pursuing Mejorado, who was driving his Dodge Ram truck. As Mejorado tried to get away, he called 911 for help.
The pursuit continued for nearly 10 miles onto southbound Interstate 5.
Near the Richards Boulevard exit, while Mejorado was still on the phone with a 911 dispatcher, Perry pulled his vehicle alongside the truck and fired several shots inside. Mejorado was struck in the arm and waist. Prosecutors said Perry then circled back on the interstate, shot Mejorado one more time in the head, and drove away. Emergency responders performed CPR at the scene before rushing Mejorado to a hospital, where he died from his injuries a short time later.
The California Highway Patrol arrested David Perry, 33, in connection with the shooting. Investigators determined that after the killing, Perry got out of his vehicle on the West Sacramento overpass and discarded the gun. He was booked into the Sacramento County Jail on murder charges. Court records showed that Perry had a prior conviction from 2007 for illegally carrying a loaded firearm.
In February 2025, a Sacramento County jury convicted David Perry of first-degree murder and attempted murder in the death of Lufino Mejorado. Following the conviction, the district attorney's office announced that Perry faced a maximum sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.
The sudden killing left Mejorado’s family reeling. "We feel robbed that he was taken from us,” his daughter said, calling the shooting a "senseless, selfish act of violence." A longtime friend, Djuan Perry, remembered Lou as someone who loved to fish and was always there when needed. His family was left to mourn the loss of a man who they said would do anything for the people he loved.
