A firearms expert Tuesday testified about the gun a Salem, Ore., man is accused of using to fatally shoot Clark County sheriff’s Sgt. Jeremy Brown.
Guillermo Raya Leon, 28, is charged in Clark County Superior Court with aggravated first-degree murder, first-degree trafficking in stolen property, first-degree burglary, theft of a motor vehicle and two counts of possession of a stolen firearm.
Prosecutors say Raya Leon shot Brown on July 23, 2021, as the detective conducted surveillance in his unmarked Jeep SUV at an east Vancouver apartment complex. Law enforcement officers from several agencies were watching Raya Leon, his brother and his brother’s wife as part of an investigation into stolen firearms.
Johan Schoeman, a forensic scientist with the Washington State Patrol’s Crime Lab, removed the unloaded .357 Magnum revolver from its evidence packaging. He pulled the trigger several times to show the jury how the revolver fires.
The bullet fragment recovered from Brown’s body matched the revolver, he told the jury. Other witnesses previously testified only one round was fired from the revolver.
Another forensic scientist told the jury he concluded Brown fired seven shots, one out of his driver’s side window and the rest toward the rear passenger window. He could not determine the sequence of the shots, he said.
Raya Leon is claiming self-defense in the shooting.
Trial is scheduled to resume today with more state’s witnesses. Prosecutors said they anticipate resting their case by the end of the day. Defense attorneys said they anticipate about two full days of testimony.
