Man sentenced to life in prison without parole for murder of Gilbert police lieutenant

PHOENIX (FOX 10/AP) - A man convicted of killing a Gilbert police lieutenant will spend the rest of his life behind bars.

A jury has already sentenced Christopher Redondo to life in prison, but on Friday a judge ruled there will be no possibility of parole.

Redondo had several other charges against him and for those was sentenced to an additional 73-and-a-half years in prison.

Redondo was convicted of killing Lt. Eric Shuhandler during a traffic stop in 2010.

Authorities say Lt. EShuhandler, a 16-year police veteran, stopped Redondo's truck because his license plate was partially obscured. He was shot as he walked from his patrol car back to Redondo's truck after learning there was an open arrest warrant for Redondo.

Authorities say Redondo, 44, and Daimen Joseph Irizarry, who was driving Redondo's truck, fled after the shooting in Gilbert, a suburb of Phoenix.

Shuhandler was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead.

During a 50-mile chase, police say Redondo leaned from the passenger-side window of the truck and fired two gunshots at a police vehicle on U.S. 60. Police also said Redondo climbed into his truck's bed and tossed wrenches, an air compressor tank and other objects at pursuing officers to get them to back off. The objects prompted some officers to pull to the shoulder of the freeway, police said.

They say Redondo fired shots at officers again after the truck ran out of gas, and the chase ended in the mining community of Superior, about 65 miles southeast of Phoenix.

Authorities said Redondo and Irizarry got out of the truck, and Redondo fired more shots at officers, who returned fire.

Redondo and Irizarry were both shot and survived.

The Associated Press (AP) contributed to this story.