Richard Browne, 43, was killed on December 6, 2025, after a roadside confrontation along southbound U.S. 395 near the Long Valley Agricultural Inspection Station in the Chilcoot-Vinton area of Lassen County, near the Nevada state line. Two vehicles carrying multiple people from Reno pulled onto the shoulder that morning and an argument quickly escalated into gunfire. A California Highway Patrol officer arrived while shots were being fired, detained everyone at the scene and tried to render aid. Browne and his teenage son, Spencer Browne, were pronounced dead at the scene; investigators said both died of multiple gunshot wounds. The highway was closed for hours while evidence was collected.

Authorities said much remained uncertain about what triggered the confrontation and the sequence of events leading to the stop. Prosecutors said the shooting was not being treated as road rage, not gang-related, and not connected to an officer-involved shooting. A suspect from the Reno circle, Isacc Anthony Pedroza, 39, was charged in Lassen County with two counts of murder, an allegation of personally discharging a firearm and a weapon-transport charge; he was arraigned, pleaded not guilty, and the case was set for further proceedings.

Did anyone in the Chilcoot-Vinton area see the vehicles or the confrontation that morning and have information to share with investigators?