Share

Road rage suspect who killed deputy ID'd in Washington state

Share

SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — The road rage suspect who killed a sheriff’s deputy, wounded a police officer and died in a central Washington state shootout this week was living in the United States illegally, the federal government said Thursday.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said Juan Manuel Flores Del Toro, 29, was a citizen of Mexico who entered the United States in 2014 at Laredo, Texas, on a temporary agricultural worker visa.

The agency had no record that Flores Del Toro left the U.S. or extended his visa after it expired.

Meanwhile, police said Thursday they were still investigating the suspect’s background and why he led the officers on a chase before the gunbattle.

Ellensburg Police Capt. Dan Hansberry said Flores Del Toro lived in Ellensburg, a university city of 20,000 residents east of Seattle, in agriculturally-rich central Washington.

Trending:
Watch: Protesters Disrupt Biden's NYC Fundraiser with Obama and Bill Clinton - 'BLOOD ON YOUR HANDS'

Flores Del Toro died in a hospital a short time after the Tuesday evening gunbattle.

Investigators do not know why Flores Del Toro fled, and there were no warrants pending for his arrest, Hansberry said.

Police in the past “had limited contacts with him,” but Hansberry described them as “nothing of real significance” without providing further details.

Officers had tried to stop Flores Del Toro’s vehicle after they received a complaint about the motorist’s driving that authorities have described as a “road-rage type event” without disclosing more details.

Police chased Flores Del Toro’s car, which stopped in a house trailer park near the small town of Kittitas, about 5 miles (8 kilometers) from Ellensburg. Flores Del Toro got out of the vehicle and used a handgun to exchange gunfire with officers, Hansberry said.

Sheriff’s deputy Ryan Thompson, 42, was killed and Kittitas police officer Benito Chavez, 22, was shot in the leg, suffering a shattered femur. He was hospitalized Thursday in satisfactory condition.

Thompson was married with three children.

Chavez was hired for the three-person Kittitas police department last July, officials said.

It was the first fatal shooting of a law enforcement officer in Kittitas County since 1927, officials said.

The Western Journal has not reviewed this Associated Press story prior to publication. Therefore, it may contain editorial bias or may in some other way not meet our normal editorial standards. It is provided to our readers as a service from The Western Journal.

Truth and Accuracy

Submit a Correction →



We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.

Tags:
Share
The Associated Press is an independent, not-for-profit news cooperative headquartered in New York City. Their teams in over 100 countries tell the world’s stories, from breaking news to investigative reporting. They provide content and services to help engage audiences worldwide, working with companies of all types, from broadcasters to brands. Photo credit: @AP on Twitter
The Associated Press was the first private sector organization in the U.S. to operate on a national scale. Over the past 170 years, they have been first to inform the world of many of history's most important moments, from the assassination of Abraham Lincoln and the bombing of Pearl Harbor to the fall of the Shah of Iran and the death of Pope John Paul.

Today, they operate in 263 locations in more than 100 countries relaying breaking news, covering war and conflict and producing enterprise reports that tell the world's stories.
Location
New York City




Conversation