Idaho
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Unlucky cop to be involved in two shootings in one year in Boise, Idaho - it's not like we have a lot of these around here. The previous one was clearly justified, and this one sounds like it, too - but even so, makes for a tough year for this guy.
Story from the Idaho Statesman:
A Boise police officer shot and killed a 34-year-old Boise man Friday night in the parking lot of the WinCo store at Fairview Avenue and Milwaukee Street.
The man pointed a gun at Officer Jeff Dustin and refused repeated commands to drop his weapon before Dustin fired, police said. Police had not released the man´s name by late Friday night.
The incident began about 6:50 p.m. when a resident in a Bench subdivision reported a suspicious person in his yard and ended about 10 minutes later when Dustin fired three to five shots, police said. At least one shot hit the man in the chest.
Two hours later, the man died at Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center.
Investigators aren´t sure whether the man fired his handgun at Dustin, Capt. Mike Webb, deputy chief of operations, said.
Dustin, who has worked on the Bench patrol for four years, was immediately placed on a standard three-day administrative leave, Boise police spokeswoman Lynn Hightower said.
Here´s the sequence of events as reported by police:
A resident in the 12000 block of Gawaine Street, about a mile and a half east of WinCo, reported a suspicious person near a recreational vehicle in the home´s back yard at 6:51 p.m.
Dispatchers issued an “attempt to locate†call on the suspect.
Ten minutes later, Dustin spotted a man matching the suspect´s description walking east on Fairview. He pulled into the WinCo parking lot to question him.
Dustin was wearing a police uniform and driving a marked patrol car. He ordered the man to stop. The man made derogatory comments and turned to walk away.
Dustin again told the man to stop. The man turned toward the officer, said he had a handgun and pointed the gun at him.
Dustin fired his gun, hitting the man at least once.
Andrew Parrish, who lives off of Fairview Avenue, thought he was hearing fireworks when the shooting took place.
“I heard a pop and a couple of other pops,†Parrish said. “It was a lot of sirens, even for this intersection. Within a minute this whole place was blocked.â€
Police shut down westbound traffic on Fairview at the Milwaukee intersection for several hours late Friday night.
An employee at Blockbuster Video, directly across the street, said a customer ran into the store screaming that someone had been shot.
Police interviewed witnesses who were in the parking lot during the shooting. Several witnesses said they saw the man waving a gun at Dustin as the two stood about 10 to 15 feet apart, Hightower said.
All patrol officers carry a recording device that tapes all conversations, and Dustin´s audio tape confirms that the officer repeatedly told the man to put the gun down, Hightower said.
“If you or I felt threatened with our life, I imagine we would take action,†Webb said.
Investigators are trying to determine why the man brandished a gun at Dustin.
A panel of officers from law enforcement agencies throughout the valley is investigating the fatal shooting. The Ada County Sheriff´s Office is taking the lead. Boise Community Ombudsman Pierce Murphy was at the scene Friday and will conduct his own investigation.
This is the second time in a year that Dustin has been involved in an officer-involved shooting. On April 9, 2003, officers exchanged gunfire with Milton and Melody Sanchez during a chase, but an Ada County jury ruled in December that the shots that killed the Sanchezes at the Boise Airport were self-inflicted.
To offer story ideas or comments, contact Chereen Langrill
http://www.idahostatesman.com/News/story.asp?ID=59878
Story from the Idaho Statesman:
A Boise police officer shot and killed a 34-year-old Boise man Friday night in the parking lot of the WinCo store at Fairview Avenue and Milwaukee Street.
The man pointed a gun at Officer Jeff Dustin and refused repeated commands to drop his weapon before Dustin fired, police said. Police had not released the man´s name by late Friday night.
The incident began about 6:50 p.m. when a resident in a Bench subdivision reported a suspicious person in his yard and ended about 10 minutes later when Dustin fired three to five shots, police said. At least one shot hit the man in the chest.
Two hours later, the man died at Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center.
Investigators aren´t sure whether the man fired his handgun at Dustin, Capt. Mike Webb, deputy chief of operations, said.
Dustin, who has worked on the Bench patrol for four years, was immediately placed on a standard three-day administrative leave, Boise police spokeswoman Lynn Hightower said.
Here´s the sequence of events as reported by police:
A resident in the 12000 block of Gawaine Street, about a mile and a half east of WinCo, reported a suspicious person near a recreational vehicle in the home´s back yard at 6:51 p.m.
Dispatchers issued an “attempt to locate†call on the suspect.
Ten minutes later, Dustin spotted a man matching the suspect´s description walking east on Fairview. He pulled into the WinCo parking lot to question him.
Dustin was wearing a police uniform and driving a marked patrol car. He ordered the man to stop. The man made derogatory comments and turned to walk away.
Dustin again told the man to stop. The man turned toward the officer, said he had a handgun and pointed the gun at him.
Dustin fired his gun, hitting the man at least once.
Andrew Parrish, who lives off of Fairview Avenue, thought he was hearing fireworks when the shooting took place.
“I heard a pop and a couple of other pops,†Parrish said. “It was a lot of sirens, even for this intersection. Within a minute this whole place was blocked.â€
Police shut down westbound traffic on Fairview at the Milwaukee intersection for several hours late Friday night.
An employee at Blockbuster Video, directly across the street, said a customer ran into the store screaming that someone had been shot.
Police interviewed witnesses who were in the parking lot during the shooting. Several witnesses said they saw the man waving a gun at Dustin as the two stood about 10 to 15 feet apart, Hightower said.
All patrol officers carry a recording device that tapes all conversations, and Dustin´s audio tape confirms that the officer repeatedly told the man to put the gun down, Hightower said.
“If you or I felt threatened with our life, I imagine we would take action,†Webb said.
Investigators are trying to determine why the man brandished a gun at Dustin.
A panel of officers from law enforcement agencies throughout the valley is investigating the fatal shooting. The Ada County Sheriff´s Office is taking the lead. Boise Community Ombudsman Pierce Murphy was at the scene Friday and will conduct his own investigation.
This is the second time in a year that Dustin has been involved in an officer-involved shooting. On April 9, 2003, officers exchanged gunfire with Milton and Melody Sanchez during a chase, but an Ada County jury ruled in December that the shots that killed the Sanchezes at the Boise Airport were self-inflicted.
To offer story ideas or comments, contact Chereen Langrill
http://www.idahostatesman.com/News/story.asp?ID=59878
