It’d been nearly a century since the last fatal police shooting in Kittitas County, Washington when sheriff’s deputy Ryan Thompson was gunned down during a reported road rage incident Tuesday night.

The 42-year-old’s death sent shock waves through the small community this week, prompting an outpouring of support for Thompson’s wife and three young children, as well public vigils and condolences to local law enforcement.

Now, area residents are learning another disturbing reality: the shooting could have been prevented.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said Thursday the shooter, 29-year-old Juan Manuel Flores Del Toro, is a Mexican national who entered the U.S. on an agricultural worker visa in 2014 and never left, the Associated Press reports.

Flores Del Toro never extended the visa when it expired, meaning he was “unlawfully present in the United States,” KIRO reports.

Now he’s dead. And so is Thompson.

“Last night was the worst incident in my 45-plus years in law enforcement and something that a sheriff or police chief wishes would never ever happen during their watch,” Kittitas County Sheriff Gene Dana said at a Wednesday morning press conference. “Our community has a very heavy heart today and last night we lost one of our finest.”

The last fatal officer involved shooting in Kittitas was in 1927, he said.

Thompson and Deputy Benito Chavez, 22, were called to a “road rage incident” around 7:45 p.m. Tuesday and attempted to stop the vehicle involved, which resulted in a chase into the city of Kittitas, police told KIRO.

The vehicle eventually stopped and Flores Del Toro emerged and fired on the deputies, killing Thompson and shattering Chavez’s femur. The officers killed Flores Del Toro in the firefight. Chavez, who just finished the academy in January, underwent surgery and will live to see his wife give birth soon.

Investigators told KOMO that Flores Del Toro’s immigration status isn’t the focus of the case, but some locals disagree.

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“We have got to have immigration, but we don’t need illegal immigration. We need people to obey our laws,” Ellensburg resident Mark Stripes said.

Lax immigration enforcement allowed Flores Del Toro to stay well beyond his welcome, Stripes said, “and a deputy had to pay with his life, and that’s not fair.”

Thompson grew up in Walla Walla and graduated from Central Washington University, where he worked for years alongside the university’s police chief, Jason Berthon-Koch.

“Ryan is a fantastic person, coworker and friend. He will be truly missed. He was one of those coworkers you could always depend on,” Berthon-Koch told KOMO.

The chief said the relatively few law enforcement officers in the area – from the university, sheriff’s department, state and city police departments – are often called to back each other up. Many – including Berthon-Koch, Thompson, and others – also share their passion for the outdoors with group hunting and fishing trips and backcountry hikes.

Berthon-Koch said he learned about Thompson’s death when he was called to the scene Tuesday.

“It’s like a family,” the chief told KOMO, fighting back tears. “In general we all know each other and each other’s kids.”

Washington State Police Trooper John Bryant told the news site he’s also processing the tragic loss.

“It’s personal because, you know, it’s going to affect me when I’m not working,” he said. “I’m going to be thinking about it, you think about it and it starts to sink in.”

It remains unclear exactly why Flores Del Toro fled from police and opened fire. Ellensburg Police have taken over the investigation and Capt. Dan Hansberry said there was no pending warrants for Flores Del Toro’s arrest. Hansberry said police had “limited contacts with him” before the shootout, but “nothing of real significance,” declining to comment further, KIRO reports.

As the investigation continues, those close to Thompson are focused on honoring his memory.

“Ryan was a very funny guy would like to play jokes on people just have humor in life happy go lucky guy,” Bethon-Koch said. “It doesn’t stop here; we will celebrate Ryan’s life, celebrate Ryan and his memory and we’ll be there for his family.”