PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — The man believed to have fatally shot Cowlitz County Deputy Justin DeRosier on April 13 was carrying 45 grams of suspected methamphetamine when he was killed by police.
The Clark County Sheriff’s Office said investigators learned Brian Butts was also armed with a semi-automatic handgun, which is being analyzed for its connection to DeRosier’s death.
Butts died from multiple gunshots wounds after two 24-year veterans of the Kelso Police Department confronted him on Sunday, April 14.
Court documents said Matthew Veatch, who was arrested as part of the investigation, said Butts asked him to hide a handgun the night DeRosier was shot.
DeRosier, 29, was dispatched to a disabled motorhome blocking the road and was shot sometime after arriving. He died in surgery.
