On the morning of May 21, 2020, Devin Tandy, a 43-year-old White male from Cave Junction, Oregon, was preparing to respond to a fire call as a volunteer firefighter for the Illinois Valley Fire District. Tragically, he would never make it to the station. Just before 10:30 a.m., Josephine County Sheriff's Deputies were dispatched to Tandy's residence in the 900 block of Caves Highway after a report of a shooting victim.
Upon arrival, they found Tandy deceased near the rear door of his home from a gunshot wound.
Investigators at the scene quickly determined that a violent struggle had occurred, noting evidence of a firearm altercation. They also discovered that Tandy's vehicle had been stolen from the property. This prompted an immediate alert to surrounding law enforcement agencies to be on the lookout for the missing vehicle, with a warning that the suspect was likely armed, possibly with an assault rifle. The search for the suspect and the stolen car crossed state lines into California, where law enforcement in Del Norte County was put on high alert.
Less than an hour after the initial discovery, at approximately 11:30 a.m., a National Park Service Officer spotted a vehicle matching the description of Tandy's stolen car traveling southbound on Highway 101 from Highway 199. A multi-agency response was initiated, and a high-risk traffic stop was conducted. The driver, identified as 22-year-old Deymon Edwards, was detained without any resistance.
Following his capture, Edwards was taken to the Del Norte County Sheriff's Office for questioning by Oregon State Police detectives who had responded to the location. After the interview, Deymon Edwards was arrested and booked into the Del Norte County Jail. He faced multiple charges, including murder, robbery, and unlawful use of a vehicle, as he awaited extradition back to Oregon to face justice for the death of Devin Tandy. A procession of fire and EMS vehicles was held on the night of the incident to honor the fallen volunteer firefighter as his body was escorted from the scene.
