James Evans was a 39-year-old deputy with the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department who was killed on May 9, 1980, during a violent confrontation after a bank robbery in Norco, California. Five heavily armed men in Army fatigues robbed the Security Pacific Bank, taking about $20,000. During the pursuit that followed, the robbers ambushed officers in the San Bernardino mountains; Deputy Evans, who had been driving the lead car in the pursuit, was caught in the crossfire and killed.

A large manhunt followed. Three of the five suspects were captured and two were killed during the pursuit. The three surviving suspects were tried in Vista, California, convicted of first-degree murder for Deputy Evans’ death and of multiple other charges, and sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. One key unresolved public question remains: does anyone have additional information about the robbery or pursuit that night that has not been shared with investigators?