On the night of April 13, 2019, Justin Derosier, a 29-year-old White male and a Cowlitz County Sheriff's Deputy in Washington, responded to a call about a disabled motorhome blocking Fallert Road in the Kalama area. Shortly after arriving at the scene around 10:00 p.m., he urgently radioed that he was being fired upon. Responding officers from the Cowlitz County Sheriff's Office and the Kalama Police Department found Derosier with a gunshot wound and were able to move him to a safe location.
He was then airlifted to PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center in Vancouver, where he succumbed to his injuries shortly after midnight.
An intense manhunt for the person who shot Derosier began immediately. The following night, law enforcement located the suspect, identified as 33-year-old Brian Dellaann Butts, near Spencer Creek Road in Kalama. When confronted, Butts opened fire on the officers, and he was killed in the ensuing shootout. Investigators later revealed that Butts was the half-brother of a man who had murdered another police chief in Oregon in 2011.
The investigation into Derosier's death led to several other arrests. Two brothers, Matthew and Michael Veatch, were taken into custody. Matthew Veatch was arrested for allegedly helping Butts evade police after the shooting. Michael Veatch was initially picked up on an outstanding warrant and was later implicated in assisting Butts. Another individual, Ricky Roberts Jr., was also arrested for his role in providing a getaway car for Butts after the shooting.
