Sergeant Jeremy Brown, 46, was killed on the evening of July 23, 2021, in Vancouver, Washington, while working undercover on a surveillance operation targeting a group suspected of trafficking a large cache of stolen firearms. Brown, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and deputy with the Clark County Sheriff’s Office, was sitting in an unmarked vehicle at an apartment complex on Northeast 109th Avenue when a man later identified as Guillermo Raya-Leon approached and fired, striking Brown in the chest. He died at a local hospital despite emergency treatment.

The shooter and three others fled the scene in a vehicle that crashed near Padden Parkway and Interstate 205. Two people, Abran Raya-Leon and Misty Raya, were captured hiding nearby after the crash; Guillermo Raya-Leon was arrested two days later in Salem, Oregon. Investigators uncovered a broader scheme involving the theft of dozens of firearms and large amounts of ammunition tied to the group.

Convictions in the case include Guillermo Raya-Leon for aggravated first-degree murder with a life-without-parole sentence; Abran Raya-Leon for second-degree murder; Misty Raya for convictions related to the trafficking; and others who pleaded or were convicted on related charges. Does anyone have information about the thefts or the trafficking network that led to this ambush?