According to Riverside police, an officer was checking on what appeared to be an unoccupied car parked near a closed gas station in the 3000 block of East La Cadena Drive at about 11:30 p.m. Friday.
Investigators say when the officer walked up to the vehicle, a male suspect approached him with a handgun. Authorities say the suspect and the officer exchanged gunfire.
The suspect was struck by gunfire and pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics. He was later identified by the coroner's office as 37-year-old Adolfo Ramirez of Riverside.
Authorities questioned and released two other people inside the vehicle.
