**Note for Media: Boise Police Chief Ryan Lee will make a statement at 6:45 p.m. at City Hall West.
Boise and Meridian police officers along with Ada County Sheriff’s deputies responded to assist with a life threatening, active emergency in Meridian very early this morning. Due to the active nature of the threat, and in order to protect innocent civilians nearby, three Boise Police officers were forced to fire their duty weapons. The Boise Police department is committed to transparency and is releasing the information provided below in addition to the information provided by the Meridian Police Department this morning.
“We value the sanctity of human life, and no Boise Police Officer takes the use of deadly force lightly. Our condolences go out to the family of the deceased,” said Boise Police Chief Ryan Lee. “All of the officers at the scene are trained to respond to people in mental health crisis and regularly are able to de-escalate situations, but due to the ongoing and obvious danger presented by the suspect, the officers involved had a moral and ethical obligation to intervene.”
The information in this news release is considered preliminary pending the results of the Ada County Critical Incident Task Force Investigation.
Just after 3:30 a.m. Boise Police officers responded to assist Meridian Police and Ada County deputies who were also responding to a report of shots of fired off Pennwood Street. Boise Police officers responded to assist due to the dangerous nature of the call and the large number of potential victims on scene. Officers arrived to find a suspect inside his trailer, firing shots toward other nearby occupied trailers. Officers surrounded the trailer, deployed an unmanned aerial vehicle, and attempted to evacuate nearby residents. Officers took up positions within the RV park and one Boise Police officer positioned himself with a line of sight looking directly into the back window of the trailer. Officers could see the suspect reloading and shooting the gun indiscriminately. After confirming the suspect was shooting at other trailers, the officer with a line of sight to the suspect fired one shot at the suspect.
Additional officers with shields moved toward the suspect to assess the situation. As they moved toward the trailer, the suspect resumed shooting from inside the trailer. Officers looking in the window could see the suspect raise the gun and officers were forced to fire again. Officers quickly attempted to enter the trailer and provide aid to the suspect, but the door appeared to have been barricaded. They ultimately made entry, and the subject was brought outside where paramedics continued life saving measures but the suspect was later pronounced deceased.
All of the shots fired by officers were accounted for on scene. The suspect is believed to have fired dozens of times and at least one nearby trailer was struck multiple times.
The officers involved were wearing on-body cameras and that evidence is being reviewed and collected by the Ada County CITF.
The suspect’s identity will be released by the Ada County Coroner pending family notification. The names of the officers involved in the incident will be made public at a later date. They are two 12 year veteran officers, and a six year veteran officer. They are on paid administrative leave per department policy.
The incident remains under investigation by the Ada County CITF. The City of Boise Office of Police Oversight also responded to the scene and will conduct an independent investigation. The Boise Police Department Internal Affairs will also perform an internal investigation.
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Previously released by the Meridian Police Department at 11:19 am on Monday, August 31, 2020
On Monday morning around 3:30am, Meridian Officers were dispatched to the KOA RV Park in Meridian after a report of shots fired in the area. Meridian Police, Boise Police, and Ada County Sheriff's Office responded to the call. Upon arriving to the scene, officers heard shots fired indiscriminately from a trailer and immediately began securing the area. Ultimately, officers returned fire, killing the male suspect. Fortunately, no officers or surrounding citizens were injured during the incident.
The Ada County Critical Incident Task Force will investigate the shooting, with Garden City Police leading the investigation. The Meridian Police Department would like to thank the residents in the area for their cooperation and patience during this tense situation.