March 20, 2019, 08:47 PM
SilentKittatis County (Eastern Wa) deputy killed second officer wounded
This occurred last night around 8:00 pm.
mynorthwest.com Kittitas County deputy killed, officer injured in shooting
By KIRO 7 News Staff
March 20, 2019 at 11:33 am
A deputy with the Kittitas County Sheriff’s Office was killed in the line of duty Tuesday evening in the City of Kittitas.
Deputies were called to a report of a road rage incident in the Badger Pocket area of Kittitas County. Deputies tried to stop the vehicle involved at about 7:45 p.m., but the driver failed to stop. Deputies chased the suspect into the City of Kittitas.
Investigators said when the vehicle stopped, the suspect got out and exchanged gunfire with a Kittitas County sheriff’s deputy and a Kittitas police officer.
The deputy was shot and died from injuries at Kittitas Valley Hospital. Deputy Ryan Thompson was 42. Thompson was born and raised in Walla Walla and was a reserve deputy who worked in corrections and with the sheriff’s office close to 15 years.
The Kittitas officer was also shot and was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center, where he was in satisfactory condition as of Wednesday morning. Officer Benito Chavez, 22, was sworn into office in July. He is married and his wife is expecting their first child. The police force in the small town consists of three officers.
Chavez was undergoing surgery for a shattered femur Wednesday, authorities said at a Wednesday morning news conference.
The suspect was also shot and was taken to Kittitas Valley Hospital. Ellensburg police told KIRO 7 the suspect later died.
The Ellensburg Police Department will conduct the investigation into the shooting. Police said the suspect’s name has not been released because he has not been positively identified by the coroner’s office.
Anyone with information about the road rage incident or any events leading up to the shootout is asked to contact the Ellensburg Police Department at 509-962-7280.
March 20, 2019, 08:54 PM
arfmelTerrible. Prayers up for the families and friends of both LEOs.
March 20, 2019, 10:29 PM
BeancookerPrayers for the officers. Sounds like the one above will judge the felon.
March 21, 2019, 05:40 AM
HayesGreenerThe shooter was Manuel Flores Del Toro. He had multiple aliases. I have not yet seen his citizenship status.
March 21, 2019, 06:39 AM
BassamaticWhat a shame. I lived and went to college in this area.
March 21, 2019, 06:40 AM
aileronI was born and raised in nearby Ellensburg in Kittitas Co. This is (was?) a very peaceful area in Central Washington, mostly farm communities. Hard to imagine this tragedy occurring in what I thought was one of the last vestiges of Mayberry.
Prayers for the families and officer, and a big "good riddance" to the shithead.
March 21, 2019, 05:47 PM
HayesGreenerThe POS who shot the officers was an illegal
March 21, 2019, 06:25 PM
nojoyquote:
Originally posted by HayesGreener:
The POS who shot the officers was an illegal
You are correct:
SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — The road rage suspect who killed a sheriff’s deputy, wounded a police officer and died in a central Washington state shootout this week was living in the United States illegally, the federal government said Thursday.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said Juan Manuel Flores Del Toro, 29, was a citizen of Mexico who entered the United States in 2014 at Laredo, Texas, on a temporary agricultural worker visa.
The agency had no record that Flores Del Toro left the U.S. or extended his visa after it expired.
Meanwhile, police said Thursday they were still investigating the suspect’s background and why he led the officers on a chase before the gunbattle.
Ellensburg Police Capt. Dan Hansberry said Flores Del Toro lived in Ellensburg, a university city of 20,000 residents east of Seattle, in agriculturally-rich central Washington.
Flores Del Toro died in a hospital a short time after the Tuesday evening gunbattle.
March 22, 2019, 09:46 AM
CopefreeI saw the surveillance video from a home that captured this shooting.
The deputy is approaching the vehicle when the illegal-fuck quickly jumps out and starts firing rapidly while the deputy retreats.
Hard to tell if it’s a handgun or a rifle but I think it may be the latter.
RIP, Ryan Thompson

March 22, 2019, 12:59 PM
TonydecRIP Deputy. My condolences to family and friends.
Prayers for a complete recovery for the officer.