The body of a Kittitas County Sheriff's deputy is draped with a U.S. flag as it is carried out of Kittitas Valley Healthcare Hospital in the early morning hours of Wednesday, March 20, 2019, in Ellensburg, Wash. A sheriff's deputy was killed and a police officer was injured after an exchange of gunfire during an attempted traffic stop. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
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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.
Investigators do not know why Flores Del Toro fled, and there were no warrants pending for his arrest, Hansberry said.
Police in the past "had limited contacts with him," but Hansberry described them as "nothing of real significance" without providing further details.
Officers had tried to stop Flores Del Toro's vehicle after they received a complaint about the motorist's driving that authorities have described as a "road-rage type event" without disclosing more details.
Police chased Flores Del Toro's car, which stopped in a house trailer park near the small town of Kittitas, about 5 miles (8 kilometers) from Ellensburg. Flores Del Toro got out of the vehicle and used a handgun to exchange gunfire with officers, Hansberry said.
Sheriff's deputy Ryan Thompson, 42, was killed and Kittitas police officer Benito Chavez, 22, was shot in the leg, suffering a shattered femur. He was hospitalized Thursday in satisfactory condition.
Thompson was married with three children.
Chavez was hired for the three-person Kittitas police department last July, officials said.
It was the first fatal shooting of a law enforcement officer in Kittitas County since 1927, officials said.
This undated photo released by the Kittitas County Sheriff's Office shows Deputy Ryan Thompson. Thompson, 42, was shot and killed and a police officer was wounded after they exchanged gunfire with a road rage driving suspect Tuesday, March 19, 2019, authorities said Wednesday, March, 20, 2019. The events unfolded Tuesday evening when the two officers tried to stop the suspect's vehicle after authorities received a complaint about the motorist's driving, authorities said. (Kittitas County Sheriff's Office via AP)
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The body of a Kittitas County Sheriff's deputy is draped with a U.S. flag as it is carried out of Kittitas Valley Healthcare Hospital in the early morning hours of Wednesday, March 20, 2019, in Ellensburg, Wash., as seen through a large circular entry window. A sheriff's deputy was killed and a police officer was injured after an exchange of gunfire during an attempted traffic stop. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
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Fire and law enforcement officials join others in saluting as the body of a Kittitas County Sheriff's deputy draped with a U.S. flag is carried out of Kittitas Valley Healthcare Hospital, in the early morning hours of Wednesday, March 20, 2019, in Ellensburg, Wash. A Kittitas County Sheriff's deputy was killed and a police officer was injured after an exchange of gunfire during an attempted traffic stop. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
The Associated Press
The body of a Kittitas County Sheriff's deputy is draped with a U.S. flag as it is carried out of Kittitas Valley Healthcare Hospital, in the early morning hours of Wednesday, March 20, 2019, in Ellensburg, Wash., as seen through a large circular entry window. A Kittitas County Sheriff's deputy was killed and a police officer was injured after an exchange of gunfire during an attempted traffic stop. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
The Associated Press
The body of a Kittitas County Sheriff's deputy is draped with a U.S. flag as it is carried out of Kittitas Valley Healthcare Hospital, in the early morning hours of Wednesday, March 20, 2019, in Ellensburg, Wash., as seen through a large circular entry window. A Kittitas County Sheriff's deputy was killed and a police officer was injured after an exchange of gunfire during an attempted traffic stop. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
The Associated Press
The body of a Kittitas County Sheriff's deputy is draped with a U.S. flag as it is loaded into an ambulance for a procession away from Kittitas Valley Healthcare Hospital, in the early morning hours of Wednesday, March 20, 2019, in Ellensburg, Wash. A Kittitas County Sheriff's deputy was killed and a police officer was injured after an exchange of gunfire during an attempted traffic stop. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
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A law enforcement chaplain walks into Kittitas Valley Healthcare Hospital, in the late night hours of Tuesday, March 19, 2019, in Ellensburg, Wash., prior to a procession to accompany the body of a Kittitas County Sheriff's deputy away from the hospital. A Kittitas County Sheriff's deputy was killed and a police officer was injured after an exchange of gunfire during an attempted traffic stop. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
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A Kittitas Valley Fire & Rescue ambulance carries the body of a Kittitas County Sheriff's deputy away from Kittitas Valley Healthcare Hospital, in the early morning hours of Wednesday, March 20, 2019, in Ellensburg, Wash. A Kittitas County Sheriff's deputy was killed and a police officer was injured after an exchange of gunfire during an attempted traffic stop. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
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Kittitas County Sheriff Gene Dana speaks at a news conference, Wednesday, March 20, 2019, in Ellensburg, Wash. about the death of Deputy Ryan Thompson, who was killed Tuesday evening when he and a Kittitas Police officer exchanged gunfire with a road-rage driving suspect in Kittitas, Wash. The driver of the vehicle was also shot and later died at a hospital. (Jake Green/The Daily Record via AP)
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Ellensburg Police Chief Ken Wade, center, talks to reporters as Kittitas County Sheriff Gene Dana, left, and Kittitas Police Chief Chris Taylor, right, look on during a news conference, Wednesday, March 20, 2019, in Ellensburg, Wash. Wade was talking about the death of Deputy Ryan Thompson, who was killed Tuesday evening when he and a Kittitas Police officer exchanged gunfire with a road-rage driving suspect in Kittitas, Wash. The driver of the vehicle was also shot and later died at a hospital. (Jake Green/The Daily Record via AP)
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An EMT reacts while listening to Kittitas County Sheriff Gene Dana, not shown, speak at a news conference, Wednesday, March 20, 2019, in Ellensburg, Wash. about the death of Deputy Ryan Thompson, who was killed Tuesday evening when he and a Kittitas Police officer exchanged gunfire with a road-rage driving suspect in Kittitas, Wash. The driver of the vehicle was also shot and later died at a hospital. (Jake Green/The Daily Record via AP)
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Kittitas County Sheriff Gene Dana speaks at a news conference, Wednesday, March 20, 2019, in Ellensburg, Wash. about the death of Deputy Ryan Thompson, who was killed Tuesday evening when he and a Kittitas Police officer exchanged gunfire with a road-rage driving suspect in Kittitas, Wash. The driver of the vehicle was also shot and later died at a hospital. (Jake Green/The Daily Record via AP)
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