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3 Men Accused Of Killing El Dorado County Sheriff's Deputy Brian Ishmael Plead Not Guilty

SACRAMENTO COUNTY (CBS13) - The three men charged in connection to the shooting death of El Dorado County Deputy Brian Ishmael on Wednesday have pled not guilty to all of the charges.

At a hearing Friday, the district attorney's office charged the owner of the property where the shooting happened, Christoper Ross, with murder in addition to the previous charge of manslaughter.

shooting-suspects-arrested
From left: Juan Carlos Vasquez-Orozco, Romiro Morales, Chris Ross. (credit: El Dorado County Sheriff's Department)

Juan Carlos Vazquez-Orozco, 20, and Romiro Bravo Morales, 22, said to be Mexican nationals, were arrested along with 47-year-old Ross.

Click Here For More Coverage On The Death Of Deputy Brian Ishmael

Ishmael, a four-year veteran of the sheriff's office, was shot and killed while he and a San Joaquin County off-duty deputy on a ride-along were responding to a 911 call about marijuana plants being stolen from a home in the area of Sand Ridge Road. Sheriff John D'Agostini said Ross was attacked soon after he got out of his vehicle. The other deputy remained in the car and was shot in the leg but managed to return fire.

Vazquez was charged with murder and assault with a deadly weapon. Morales was charged as an accessory to murder.
Ross was originally charged with just manslaughter, but the murder charge was added on Friday. He's accused of making the 911 call, a move that the district attorney alleges would put Ishmael in danger.

On Thursday, a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesperson said the agency did not have any information on Morales and Vazquez-Orozco.

In a statment on the federal charges brought against the three men, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott said, "Multiple Federal law enforcement agencies have been assisting the El Dorado Sheriff's Office in this investigation since early Wednesday morning. The United States Attorney's Office has brought these federal charges in full cooperation and consultation with the El Dorado District Attorney's Office. We will continue to work collaboratively to ensure that justice is done."

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