James Brew was killed on July 12, 1917, during the Bisbee Deportation. The Bisbee Deportation was an illegal act where over 1,000 striking miners and their supporters, many of whom were immigrants, were rounded up by vigilantes and local authorities and deported to New Mexico. During the roundup, Brew fired at a group of men entering his rooming house, killing Deputy Sheriff Orson McRae. Brew was then shot and killed in return fire. A coroner's inquest was inconclusive as to who fired the fatal shots. The incident highlights the tensions surrounding the deportation and the violence that erupted during this dark period in Arizona's labor history.