An arrest warrant was issued Tuesday for Abran Raya Leon, accusing him of first-degree rendering criminal assistance for allegedly acting as the getaway driver following the Friday night fatal shooting of Clark County sheriff’s Detective Jeremy Brown at The Pointe Apartments in east Vancouver.
According to a probable cause affidavit, Abran Raya Leon, 28, drove a Toyota Sequoia away from the apartments with his brother, Guillermo Raya Leon, 26, the alleged shooter, inside. Abran Raya Leon’s wife, Misty Raya, 35, caught up to the pair and jumped into the back of the SUV.
Abran Raya Leon told police his brother told him he’d shot Brown and that he knew his brother had a silver revolver with him, according to the affidavit.
Brown and other law enforcement officers were conducting surveillance on the trio. Authorities have not disclosed why they were under surveillance, but court records suggest it was related to a cache of stolen firearms.
Brown was in an unmarked Jeep SUV. Court records describe Guillermo Raya Leon as being paranoid that they were being followed by law enforcement. An affidavit stated Guillermo Raya Leon went to confront Brown, and shot the detective in the chest.
Guillermo Raya Leon allegedly told his companions that Brown fired at him first and that he shot back twice and ducked so he wasn’t hit, court records say. Investigators have not said whether Brown discharged his weapon.
Police located the Toyota SUV crashed and abandoned near Interstate 205 and Padden Parkway. They later found Abran Raya Leon and his wife in the backyard of an unoccupied house in the 8700 block of Northeast 76th Avenue. They had a silver revolver with them that officers believe is the one Guillermo Raya Leon used to shoot Brown, the affidavit states.
Abran Raya Leon was taken to a Portland hospital after a “police K-9 made contact” with him, Vancouver Police Department spokeswoman Kim Kapp said Monday. She did not describe his injuries. The U.S. Marshals Service subsequently took him into custody on federal warrants, she said.
Federal court records show he faces a pending indictment for charges of possessing counterfeit postal service arrow keys and stolen mail. He appeared Monday in federal court in Portland.
Guillermo Raya Leon stole a Toyota Prius from the unoccupied house Friday night and drove off, court records state. He was arrested Sunday in Salem, his hometown. He is facing first-degree aggravated murder and possession of a stolen firearm, and is awaiting extradition to Clark County.
Court records accuse Raya of giving Guillermo Raya Leon clothes to change into as they drove away from the apartment complex.
She appeared Monday in Clark County Superior Court on charges from a June burglary, in which she is accused of stealing 27 guns, including an AK-47, and tens of thousands of rounds of ammunition from a storage facility.
Clark County Prosecutor Tony Golik told a judge during Raya’s appearance that one of the stolen guns was the one Guillermo Raya Leon used to shoot Brown. Golik said he intended to file additional charges against Raya for her involvement in the shooting, but those charges have not yet been filed.
