Weld County (Colo.) Sheriff's Dep. Sam Brownlee was shot once in the face and twice in the chest by Rueben Reyes, a self-identified Sureño, during a traffic stop on Tuesday morning, reports the Denver Post.
Investigators are still trying to determine how Reyes was able to get the deputy's gun away from him during a scuffle. After killing the deputy, Reyes was shot and killed by an Evans police officer.
Reyes bore tattoos of the No. 13, and has been described by family members as a troubled teen. Friends nicknamed him "Demon." He was arrested in June 2009 for beating a 50-year-old man so badly his leg was broken in three places, during a traffic accident. During the arrest, Reyes told a Morgan County Sheriff's deputy, F--- you and your entire family. I'm a Sureños," reports 9News.com.
