On the evening of June 26, 2003, 35-year-old Chelan County Deputy Saul Gallegos was killed during a traffic-stop encounter in Manson, Washington. Gallegos had initiated a stop for a suspected suspended license. The driver, identified as Jose Sanchez Guillen, pulled into a residential driveway, fled on foot, and a struggle followed behind the residence. During the altercation Sanchez Guillen gained control of Deputy Gallegos’ service weapon; witnesses heard two gunshots and Gallegos was struck in the head.

A witness used the deputy’s radio to call for help, but Gallegos was pronounced dead at the scene. He had served seven months with the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office after seven years with the Chelan Police Department and was survived by his wife and four young sons. A massive manhunt led to Sanchez Guillen’s arrest on June 29, 2003, in Connell, Washington.

In October 2004 a jury convicted Jose Sanchez Guillen of aggravated first-degree murder and he was sentenced to life without parole.