CHP Officer Killed by Gunman in Restaurant

Monday, May 21, 1962

Officer Dale M. Krings and his partner, Officer Vincent Bianchini, were near the end of their graveyard shift and having breakfast at a restaurant next to San Francisco International Airport, when a restaurant patron confronted the officers, saying, “Okay, gentlemen, you’ve had it!” Without further warning he drew a rifle and opened fire, striking Officer Krings. Although mortally wounded, Krings returned fire and killed the gunman. Investigation revealed the assailant, a former mental patient, was a regular customer at the coffee shop and had been overheard on several occasions to say, “I hate cops!” Krings, 34, had been a member of the Patrol for six years.