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Man shot in head after drug deal gone bad in Vancouver, police say

Police initially reported that a witness said the victim was shot during a street race. But court documents released Monday indicate the victim was being chased and was not involved in a street race.

VANCOUVER, Wash. – A man died after he was chased down during a high-speed chase and shot in the head in Vancouver in early June.

Police initially reported that a witness said the victim, Ariel Romano, was shot during a street race. But court documents released Monday say the victim was speeding because he was being chased by another car.

A spokesman for the Washington State Patrol said the shooting happened after a drug deal went bad. The shooting was not gang-related, police said.

Raul Flores, 44, of Vancouver, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder. There will be other arrests in the case, police say.

Raul Flores (Photo: The Columbian)

Detectives say a man named Jonathan Oson was also involved in Romano's death. Oson, who is in the Clark County Jail on unrelated charges, was in the car with Flores, but detectives say they don't know who was driving and who fired the shot that killed Romano.

Oson hasn't been charged in this case. He will make a court appearance Thursday on unrelated charges.

Credit: WSP
Justin Schell

On Monday night, police located and arrested Justin Schell, who officials say was one of the last people to have contact with Romano before he died. Schell was arrested on unrelated warrants. Schell was recently seen driving a 2004 Pontiac Grand Prix four-door with a shattered windshield, Washington State Patrol Trooper Will Finn said.

The court documents state, "It is highly likely Schell was a middle-man, facilitating a meeting to buy/sell drugs between Romano and Flores/Oson."

Detectives say Schell. who has not been charged in this case, is cooperating and providing additional information about what happened June 9. They said based on the information given to them by Schell, detectives are pursuing news leads.

The shooting happened around 1:40 a.m. on June 9. Romano was driving a 2002 Toyota Corolla southbound on State Route 503. A second car, a 2002 Lincoln LS sedan, was chasing Romano and pulled up alongside him. Someone inside the second car shot Romano "in the left side of the head from close range with a shotgun," according to court documents.

After Romano was shot, his vehicle left the road, traveled across the entrance to Prairie High School, and struck a large tree.

Romano was pronounced dead at the scene. There were no passengers in Romano's vehicle.

The suspects sped away from the scene, driving southbound on State Route 503, according to court documents.

Washington State Patrol detectives searched a home in the Orchard's area of Vancouver and found potential evidence associated with the crime, according to Trooper Finn.

Police seized weapons and other evidence. A resident at the home was taken into custody for charges unrelated to Romano's death, Finn said.

Anyone with information about the crash and shooting is asked to contact Detective Jennifer Ortiz at 360-449-7948 or Jennifer.ortiz@wsp.wa.gov.

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