Three arrested in killing of veteran sheriff’s detective in Washington, police say

A third person has been arrested in connection with the fatal shooting of an on-duty detective in Washington, police said.

Sgt. Jeremy Brown, 46, a detective with the Clark County Sheriff’s Office, was conducting surveillance in Vancouver Friday evening, according to a news release from Vancouver police. Other officers who were working with Brown attempted to contact him through radio, but he did not respond, police said.

Around the same time Brown went silent, someone called 911 to report hearing gunshots and seeing a man bleeding inside a car, according to the release.

Two men and a woman fled from the area by car before crashing near Interstate 205, police said, where they fled on foot.

Following an extensive search involving several law enforcement agencies, one man, identified as 28-year-old Abran Raya-Leon, and the woman, identified as Misty Raya, 35, were located and arrested on unrelated felony warrants, according to the release.

The third suspect was still at large until Sunday, when U.S. Marshals officers and police found and arrested 26-year-old Guillermo Raya in Salem, Oregon, police said.

Police are not releasing additional details about the arrest at this time, according to the release.

“Raya will be extradited to Clark County to face charges related to the shooting,” police said.

Clark County Prosecutor Tony Golik said Monday morning in court that the gun used to kill Brown was one of 27 firearms stolen by Misty Raya, The Columbian reported. The weapons, which included an AK-47, were stolen from a Vancouver storage facility in June, along with tens of thousands of rounds of ammunition, according to the newspaper.

Brown served at the Clark County Sheriff’s Office for 15 years, the Officer Down Memorial page says.

Sheriff Chuck Atkins gave Brown the honorary title of Sergeant, a promotion he was in line for before his death, KGW reported.

“That touches a heart string for me, because I know how much he wanted that [promotion],” Atkins said, according to the TV station.

Law enforcement agencies across the region have expressed condolences for Brown’s death.

“[Detective Sgt.] Brown no doubt went to work yesterday with every intention of returning to home to his family. Instead, he gave the ultimate sacrifice for those he loved,” the Yakima County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post.