Ariel Romano was killed in Vancouver, Washington, on June 9, 2018. Initial reports described the incident as street racing, but court documents later clarified Romano was not racing; he was being pursued by another vehicle. While driving his 2002 Toyota Corolla on State Route 503, Romano was fatally shot in the head. His car then left the roadway and struck a tree near Prairie High School, where he was pronounced dead. There were no passengers in his vehicle.

Investigators determined the killing grew out of a drug deal that went awry rather than a random act of road rage, and the Washington State Patrol said the shooting was not believed to be gang-related. Authorities arrested several people in connection with the homicide. Raul Flores, 44, of Vancouver, was charged with first-degree murder. Jonathan Oson, already in the Clark County Jail on unrelated charges, was identified as having been in the suspect’s vehicle with Flores; investigators were unsure who was driving or who fired the fatal shot. Justin Schell was arrested on unrelated warrants and is described as a middleman who arranged the drug deal and one of the last people to have contact with Romano; he has been cooperating with the investigation.

Can anyone with knowledge of the drug transaction, the vehicles involved, or the movements around State Route 503 on June 9, 2018, help clarify what happened?