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Nolan T. Ray

Age : 33

Gender : Male

Race : White

Date : 08/25/2023

Location : SR 446

City : Pyramid Lake

County : Churchill

State : Nevada

Agency : Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribal Police Department

Officer(s) :Anthony Francone

Cause of Death : Gunshot

Event : Killed by police during vehicle pursuit after fatally striking tribal police officer

OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :

On 08/25/2023, Nolan T. Ray, 33, became involved in an incident in the parking lot of a shopping center in north Sparks along Pyramid Highway. Ray subsequently drove north toward the Pyramid Lake Paiute Reservation. Later reporting established that this incident in Sparks initiated the sequence of events that developed into a law-enforcement pursuit.
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The pursuit continued toward the reservation during a period of unusually heavy traffic associated with people traveling toward Burning Man. Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribal Police Officer Anthony Francone became involved as Ray traveled toward the Nixon area.
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Near the junction of State Routes 446 and 447 south of Nixon, Francone attempted to stop Ray's vehicle. Multiple law-enforcement memorial accounts report that Francone was deploying spike strips in the roadway as part of the attempt to stop the pursued vehicle.
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Ray's vehicle struck Francone, fatally injuring him. Francone, 48, was pronounced dead at the scene. Francone was a 25-year law-enforcement veteran who had previously served with the Eureka County Sheriff's Office and Storey County Sheriff's Office before working for several tribal police agencies.
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Francone fired his firearm during the encounter. Ray was struck by police gunfire and also died at the scene. Contemporary reporting described Ray as having been shot and killed by law enforcement, while subsequent local reporting specifically established that Francone was able to fire his weapon during the fatal encounter.
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The Washoe County Medical Examiner identified Ray following the incident. Some early reporting gave his age as 31, but the Medical Examiner's information and Ray's obituary identify him as 33. His obituary gives his full name as Nolan T. Ray and confirms that he died on August 25, 2023.
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Ray was a 2008 graduate of Cortland Senior High School in New York and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in aerospace engineering from Syracuse University. At the time of his death, he was employed by Apple as a systems analyst/program developer.
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Because the fatal incident occurred on the Pyramid Lake Paiute Reservation and involved tribal law enforcement, the FBI assumed the lead investigation. As of the later August 2023 reporting, the FBI had released little additional information concerning the exact sequence of the gunfire.
OFFICER BACKGROUND:
Anthony Francone, 48, was the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribal Police Department officer involved in the fatal encounter with Ray. Francone was attempting to stop Ray near State Routes 446 and 447 when Ray's vehicle struck and killed him. Francone fired his weapon during the encounter, and Ray was killed by police gunfire.
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Francone had approximately 25 years of law-enforcement experience. He previously served with the Eureka County Sheriff's Office and spent more than a decade with the Storey County Sheriff's Office, attaining the rank of corporal. After retiring from Storey County, he served with the Fallon Paiute Tribal Police Department, Washoe Tribal Police Department and Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribal Police Department.
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At the Storey County Sheriff's Office, Francone served as the agency's primary radar instructor, lead accident investigator and field training officer. He was also described by the department as its leading traffic-enforcement officer.

SOURCE LINKS :

https://www.nevadaappeal.com/news/2023/aug/29/pyramid-lake-police-officer-killed-following-chase/
https://www.kolotv.com/2023/08/26/incident-pyramid-lake-draws-law-enforcement-response/
https://www.kolotv.com/2023/08/30/details-few-fatal-pyramid-lake-encounter/
https://www.odmp.org/officer/26772-police-officer-anthony-francone
https://gov.nv.gov/Newsroom/2023-09-09_fallen-officer-anthony-francone/
https://wright-beard.com/tribute/details/4867/Nolan-Ray/obituary.html