SUNDAY DECEMBER 6 2015 $2 VOLUME 151, No. 134 WWW.IDAHOSTATESMAN.COM/ FACEBOOK.COM/IDAHOSTATESMAN TWITTER.COM/IDAHOSTATESMAN NEWS ALL DAY. YOUR WAY Fatal shootings by police and sheriff’s deputies have climbed in Idaho since the turn of the century, an Idaho Statesman review has found, and no officers have been charged. With attention to police shootings increasing nationwide, reporter Cynthia Sewell combed media reports, public records and other sources to create Idaho’s first database of fatal law enforcement shootings since 2000. The number has increased to about five per year the past five years. Many have taken place in the Treasure Valley, including the May 13, 2007, shooting of Ricardo Benitez inside his Meridian home, left, after he lunged with a knife at a Meridian police officer. Check out our chart of all 47 killings by law enforcement since 2000. DEPTH, 1C-3C SPECIAL REPORT: IDAHO POLICE SHOOTINGS Officer-involved deaths on the rise Statesman file Some went to hotels and others camped near the river, but very few home- less evicted Friday from their tent city went to the temporary shelter Boise set up. JoJo Valdez, above, the group’s spokeswoman, went to a hotel. NEWS, 4A BOISE’S HOMELESS SCATTERED FROM COOPER COURT For Debbie Toy, turning her house into a Christmas wonderland is all just part of paying it forward this time of year. The magic inside will be felt by a lot of people. EXPLORE, 1D HEART OF TREASURE VALLEY A HOME FOR ALL OVER HOLIDAYS In Venezuela, people can barely afford to keep their families alive. Everything from medicine to flour to car parts is scarce. Crime is unprecedented. The rich hide behind walls while the poor scavenge in streets. Whose fault is this? Opinions are as plentiful as solutions are scarce. Landowners, such as the family that runs the ranch pictured above, say the government’s policy of expropriating farms, factories and other productive resources is to blame. Politicians say business leaders are sabotaging the economy with the goal of undermining the government. Today at the polls, voters in Venezuela will decide which side has made a stronger case. Statesman reporter Sven Berg, who spent three weeks this fall in Venezuela as part of a McClatchy news project, reports on the state of life there and the history of bad blood between the country’s socialists and oligarchs. DEPTH, 1C SPECIAL SERIES, PART 1: VENEZUELA IN CRISIS As socialists, businesses trade blame, people suffer ALEJANDRO CEGARRA McClatchy With Michigan State’s thrilling win over Iowa and No. 1 Clem- son’s survival, those two teams should join Alabama and Okla- homa in this season’s semi- finals. All bowl matchups will be revealed today. SPORTS, 1B COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF FIELD SET; ONLY SEEDS UP IN AIR Since President Obama announced his Brain Ini- tiative in 2013, scientists who were already hard at work have been doing double-time to map the human mind. NEWS, 13A SCIENCE BRAIN RESEARCH PICKS UP STEAM TOP STORIES STAY CONNECTED U.S. MILITARY The B-52 is the bomber that won’t go away: 60 years of service NEWS, 12A BBB COLUMN Scam artists try to take advantage of real letter to hacking victims NEWS, 6A IDAHO HISTORY Lafayette Cartee raised prominent children in 19th-century Idaho NEWS, 6A Catching Up 2A Local news 4-7A Nation 9-14A Weather 15A Sports 1B Depth 1C Opinion 6C Explore 1D Books 4D Obituaries 10D EXPLORE In Internet age, passing on a love of model trains TIM WOODWARD, 1D NEWS BSU-led snowpack research at Bogus, elsewhere is vital MARK RUDIN, 8A A LITTLE RAINY 43° / 33° See 15A The fears of homegrown terrorists striking here have been realized several times now, but officials appear no closer to getting a handle on the problem. Also, read about the frightening scene in San Bernardino from survivors. NEWS, 9A CALIFORNIA MASSACRE TERROR CHALLENGE BUILDS FOR U.S. Proud of your Christmas lights and displays? Share them with the Treasure Valley and us by going to IdahoStatesman.com/ holidays. See a photo gallery from Saturday’s annual Pray For Snow party outside 10 Bar- rel Brewing in Boise. IdahoStatesman.com ON THE WEB
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SUNDAY DECEMBER 6 2015 $2 VOLUME 151, No. 134WWW.IDAHOSTATESMAN.COM/
Fatal shootings by police and sheriff’s deputies have climbed in Idaho
since the turn of the century, an Idaho Statesman review has found, and no
officers have been charged. With attention to police shootings increasing
nationwide, reporter Cynthia Sewell combed media reports, public records
and other sources to create Idaho’s first database of fatal law enforcement
shootings since 2000. The number has increased to about five per year the
past five years. Many have taken place in the Treasure Valley, including the
May 13, 2007, shooting of Ricardo Benitez inside his Meridian home, left,
after he lunged with a knife at a Meridian police officer. Check out our
chart of all 47 killings by law enforcement since 2000. DEPTH, 1C-3C
SPECIAL REPORT: IDAHO POLICE SHOOTINGS
Officer-involveddeaths on the rise
Statesman file
Some went to hotels and
others camped near the
river, but very few home-
less evicted Friday from
their tent city went to the
temporary shelter Boise set
up. JoJo Valdez, above, the
group’s spokeswoman,
went to a hotel. NEWS, 4A
BOISE’S HOMELESS
SCATTERED FROMCOOPER COURT
For Debbie Toy, turning her
house into a Christmas
wonderland is all just part
of paying it forward this
time of year. The magic
inside will be felt by a lot of
people. EXPLORE, 1D
HEART OF TREASURE VALLEY
A HOME FOR ALLOVER HOLIDAYS
In Venezuela, people can barely afford to keep their families alive. Everything from medicine to flour to car parts is
scarce. Crime is unprecedented. The rich hide behind walls while the poor scavenge in streets. Whose fault is this?
Opinions are as plentiful as solutions are scarce. Landowners, such as the family that runs the ranch pictured
above, say the government’s policy of expropriating farms, factories and other productive resources is to blame.
Politicians say business leaders are sabotaging the economy with the goal of undermining the government. Today
at the polls, voters in Venezuela will decide which side has made a stronger case. Statesman reporter Sven Berg,
who spent three weeks this fall in Venezuela as part of a McClatchy news project, reports on the state of life there
and the history of bad blood between the country’s socialists and oligarchs. DEPTH, 1C
SPECIAL SERIES, PART 1: VENEZUELA IN CRISIS
As socialists, businessestrade blame, people suffer
ALEJANDRO CEGARRA McClatchy
With Michigan State’s thrilling
win over Iowa and No. 1 Clem-
son’s survival, those two teams
should join Alabama and Okla-
homa in this season’s semi-
finals. All bowl matchups will
be revealed today. SPORTS, 1B
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
PLAYOFF FIELD SET;ONLY SEEDS UP IN AIR
Since President Obama
announced his Brain Ini-
tiative in 2013, scientists
who were already hard at
work have been doing
double-time to map the
human mind. NEWS, 13A
SCIENCE
BRAIN RESEARCHPICKS UP STEAM
TOP STORIESSTAYCONNECTED
U.S. MILITARY
The B-52 is the bomber that won’tgo away: 60 years of service
NEWS, 12A
BBB COLUMN
Scam artists try to take advantageof real letter to hacking victims
NEWS, 6A
IDAHO HISTORY
Lafayette Cartee raised prominentchildren in 19th-century Idaho
NEWS, 6A
Catching Up 2A
Local news 4-7ANation 9-14A
Weather 15A
Sports 1B
Depth 1C
Opinion 6C
Explore 1D
Books 4D
Obituaries 10D
EXPLORE
In Internet age,passing on a loveof model trainsTIM WOODWARD, 1D
NEWS
BSU-led snowpackresearch at Bogus,elsewhere is vitalMARK RUDIN, 8A
A LITTLE RAINY
43°/33° See 15A
The fears of homegrown
terrorists striking here have
been realized several times
now, but officials appear no
closer to getting a handle
on the problem. Also, read
about the frightening scene
in San Bernardino from
survivors. NEWS, 9A
CALIFORNIA MASSACRE
TERROR CHALLENGEBUILDS FOR U.S.
Proud of your Christmas
lights and displays? Share
them with the Treasure
Valley and us by going to
IdahoStatesman.com/
holidays.
See a photo gallery from
Saturday’s annual Pray For
Snow party outside 10 Bar-
rel Brewing in Boise.
IdahoStatesman.com
ON THE WEB
SUNDAY DECEMBER 6 2015 1CFACEBOOK.COM/IDAHOSTATESMANTWITTER.COM/IDAHOSTATESMANIDAHOSTATESMAN.COM
Depth
With concernrising aboutofficer-involved
shootings nationwide –and in Idaho, especiallysince an Adams Countyrancher died in an en-counter with two depu-ties – the Idaho States-man reviewed shootingsso far this century. Thenewspaper’s tally foundthat the number of an-nual fatal shootings waszero or just one from2000 to 2003; it hasrisen to about five an-nually over the past fiveyears.In 45 of the 47 cases
we found, authoritiesruled that officers’ ac-tions did not warrantprosecution. Two cases
are still being investigat-ed.The Statesman has
compiled Idaho’s firstknown database of offi-cer-involved shootings. Itfollows in the tracks ofnational databases estab-lished this year by TheWashington Post andThe Guardian of London,though theirs cover onlyshootings since the startof this year.The Idaho Attorney
General’s Office, IdahoProsecuting AttorneysAssociation, U.S. At-torney’s Office and oth-ers queried cannot recallany incident in which apolice officer or sheriff’sdeputy in Idaho has beencharged in connectionwith a fatal shooting.Former Ada County
Sheriff Gary Raney, nowa consultant for the U.S.
Department of Justice,said shootings by officersin the line of duty havecome under increasingscrutiny since the 1980s— a trend he endorses.
There are more inde-pendent shooting in-vestigations and laws,and better investigationtechniques and evidenceanalysis, than ever be-
fore, he said.“It was not that long
Statesman file
Boise Police storm a pickup truck just west of the intersection of Franklin and Cole roads on June 12, 2000, after a standoff. Police shot thedriver, Brian Allen Poppleton, who was armed with a handgun and had aimed it at police.
OF THE 47 PEOPLE KILLED, 36 WEREARMED WITH A GUN, SIX HAD AKNIFE, THREE WERE USING A VEHICLEAS A WEAPON, ONE HAD A PIECE OFGLASS AND ONE WAS UNARMED.
If the prospect of “Re-publican PresidentialNominee Donald Trump”hasn’t already begun tospook some members ofthe GOP leadership, it’sjust a matter of time.The latest polling shows
Trump holding strong atabout 20 points ahead ofhis nearest competitor —36 percent to 16 percentfor Texas Sen. Ted Cruz,who has passed Dr. BenCarson. There is evidenceof Trump Panic andTrump Talking Pointsbeing drafted for peoplewho don’t buy whatTrump is selling, but whomight have to becomeTrump apologists.Last week The Wash-
ington Post reported on aGOP memo circulatingamong congressionalcandidates about “how tostay afloat if Trump be-comes the nominee.”There’s a delicate bal-
ance here. Those courtingGOP voters know Trumphas made a connection.They are advised to passthrough the Trump cafe-teria of mostly extremeissues — such as immigra-tion, border security,deportation and Muslimregistries — and be carefulabout what they put ontheir plates.Nobody in the Idaho
congressional delegationhas pledged support forTrump this side of theJuly 2016 nominatingconvention. Rep. RaulLabrador is still backingSen. Rand Paul. Rep. Mike
TrumpPanicmay setin forGOP
EYES ON IDAHO
BY ROBERT EHLERT
SEE EHLERT, 11C
SAN JUAN DE LOS MORROS,
VENEZUELA
Misael León still believes inVenezuela.Standing in the muggy shade
on his farm, the native of Me-dellín, Colombia, said he’soptimistic that someday, some-one’s going to fix his adoptedcountry.León has had a bad run of it
lately — the same run that’sbrought this resource-rich na-tion to its knees.He describes life as a fight for
survival. He struggles to findfood for his family. One of the
first words out of his mouth is“escasez” — shortage — a refer-ence to a nationwide lack ofeverything, from food to laun-dry soap to car parts.León gets milk, eggs and
some meat from the animals heraises on the northern edge ofVenezuela’s agricultural region.But he has to buy basics such asrice, flour, pasta and sugar.Supplies of those items arescarce.“Anywhere you go in Vene-
zuela, any city, any village,you’ll see a line to buy food,” hesaid. “And that’s not the worst
part. Worse is that you stand inline, and when you get to theplace where you make the pur-chase, the food is all gone.”Eighteen days traveling
across Venezuela in Septemberand October and conversationswith people in all walks of lifefound León’s observation re-peated dozens of times. Vene-zuela is in crisis, its economyshrinking, its oil wealth no long-
er generating the kind of moneythe country needs to importproducts, its farms and factoriesno longer producing enough tosatisfy its citizens.That, however, is where the
agreement ends. The cause ofthe shortages remains a hotlydebated topic that pits thecountry’s current socialist rulers
NATION IN TURMOIL
Venezuela’s foodcrisis dominatesahead of key vote
Alejandro Cegarra McClatchy
Venezuelans are used to long lines, such as this one in Puerto Ordazon Oct. 7, to buy price-regulated food. Food scarcity has becomeone of the greatest afflictions in Venezuelan life in recent years.
Who died Age Gender When County Where Agency What happened
Jack Yantis 62 Male 11/1/2015 Adams U.S. 95, Council Adams County
Sheriff’s Office
Two deputies and Yantis were on the scene of a traffic crash involving one of the rancher’s
bulls. Yantis had a rifle and was going to put down the bull. All three weapons discharged.
Investigation pending.
Casey George Alarcon 34 Male 8/11/2015 Bonner Sandpoint Bonner County
Sheriff’s Office
Officers were serving Alarcon with an arrest warrant when a struggle ensued. Alarcon
pulled a gun and fired two shots at the officers. One deputy returned fire, shooting
Alarcon once. Investigation pending.
Tyrell J. Larsen 31 Male 4/6/2015 Bonneville Rigby Bonneville County
Sheriff’s Office
During a two-county vehicle pursuit that started with a traffic stop, Larsen crashed his
truck and left it with a rifle in hand. Video and audio footage showed the deputy ordered
Larsen to drop the weapon at least five times. The deputy fired six shots, striking Larsen
four times.
Brandon Rapp 31 Male 3/18/2015 Canyon 9421 Charles Way,
Middleton
Canyon County
Sheriff’s Office
A deputy was responding to a domestic disturbance call when Rapp came out of the
home with a gun. The deputy told Rapp three times to lower his weapon. Rapp did not,
and the deputy shot four rounds. Rapp was struck by three bullets.
Michael Kenneth
Casper
26 Male 2/16/2015 Ada Malad Street and
Gourley Street, Boise
Boise Police
Department
An officer, responding to a call reporting breaking glass and gunshots, approached
Casper’s house and heard more shots. Casper was inside, near a window and holding a
gun. The officer shot him when he pointed his gun toward another police officer who was
approaching the scene.
Darryl Kurt Myler 41 Male 1/24/2015 Madison Rexburg Rexburg Police
Department
After an armed robbery at a drug store, officers located Myler, ordered him to stop and
show his hands, and told him he was under arrest. Myler pulled a gun from his jacket
pocket and fired four times at officers. The officers fired 28 times at Myler.
Daniel Young 26 Male 11/6/2014 Jerome 100 East 400 South,
Jerome
Jerome County
Sheriff’s Department
A suspect in a kidnapping and stabbing case, Young was armed with a gun and walking
along a street with two other men when deputies approached him.
Jeanetta Marie Riley 35 Female 7/8/2014 Bonner Bonner General
Hospital, Sandpoint
Sandpoint Police
Department
Riley’s husband had driven her to the hospital because she was threatening to harm
herself and others. When she moved toward officers while holding a 3-inch knife, they
opened fire, hitting her in the torso three times.
Thomas L. White 28 Male 6/6/2014 Kootenai 400-block E. Dragonfly
Drive, Coeur d’Alene
Coeur d’Alene Police
Department
Officers, called to a domestic disturbance complaint, found White in a next-door
neighbor’s backyard. He was armed and ignored repeated demands to drop his weapon.
White then pointed a gun at the officers and exchanged gunfire with three of them.
Jose
Rodriguez-Moncada
24 Male 5/8/2014 Payette 275 N. 16th St., Payette Payette County
Sheriff’s Office
A deputy spotted a car at a Maverik gas staton that matched the description of one
involved in an incident where shots had been fired near an elementary school in Ontario.
Before backup could arrive, Rodriguez-Moncada pulled out a handgun from inside the
vehicle and began shooting at the deputy.
Eric B. Johnston 35 Male 8/25/2013 Kootenai 1422 E. Young Ave.,
Coeur d’Alene
Coeur d’Alene Police
Department
An officer shot Johnston, who was armed with two knives, in a confrontation after
Johnston crashed his truck into a utility pole and then fled to a friend’s apartment.
James DiMaggio 40 Male 8/10/2013 Valley Morehead Lake,
Cascade
FBI DiMaggio was killed when he fired two shots after FBI agents descended on his
backcountry campsite. His kidnapping victim, Hannah Anderson, was rescued. DiMaggio
had killed her brother and mother in California.
Alexander Mandarino 26 Male 6/12/2013 Shoshone Lookout Pass Interstate90
Idaho State Police During a welfare check of a parked vehicle, a trooper shot Mandarino while he and aShoshone County deputy struggled over Mandarino’s handgun.
Bradley Allen Wilson 30 Male 3/14/2013 Bannock 4335 Yellowstone Ave.,
Chubbuck
Bannock County
Sheriff’s Office
After a high-speed chase, Wilson took a man hostage inside a Petco store and threatened
to kill himself and the hostage. An officer fired one shot, killing Wilson. The hostage was
not harmed.
Eric Dilworth 38 Male 12/3/2012 Ada 1983 E. Wilson Lane,
Meridian
Meridian Police
Department
A family member called police saying Dilworth appeared suicidal. When officers arrived,
Dilworth ran out the back door with a knife. Four officers fired multiple shots at him after
he refused to drop the knife and continued toward them.
Christian Nichols
Buquet
19 Male 9/29/2012 Kootenai 10000 E Coeur d’Alene
Lake Drive, Coeur
d’Alene
Kootenai Police
Department
Police shot Buquet after he shot another man and then fired a gun at officers and
civilians.
Troy Epperley 37 Male 5/31/2012 Ada 6168 N. Sparkford Way,
Boise
Boise Police
Department
Officers responded to call about a suicidal man armed with a gun. An officer shot
Epperley when he moved toward him.
Robert R. Luccari 61 Male 5/16/2012 Canyon 2nd Street South and
16th Avenue, Nampa
Nampa Police
Department
Police were called to an apartment building for a noise complaint. Three officers were at
the door of the apartment trying to talk to Luccari when he came out armed with a
handgun pointed at police.
Dennis Allen Buzzell 51 Male 4/14/2012 Bannock 900-block 3rd St.,
McCammon
Bannock County
Sheriff’s Office
After a several-hour standoff, Buzzell emerged from his house with a gun and began
firing. He died three weeks later.
Justin Earl Nicholas
Todd
33 Male 3/12/2012 Kootenai Saint Estephe Court,
Hayden
Idaho State Police, Post
Falls Police Department
During an attempt to stop Todd’s vehicle during a pursuit, officers approached the vehicle
on foot. Todd accelerated toward an ISP trooper, so three officers shot him.
Jeff A. Flinn 46 Male 11/12/2011 Lewis Reuben Road and U.S.
95, Winchester
Nez Perce Tribal Police An officer shot Flinn, who had a rifle, after he stole a truck and led police on a chase.
Charles Mefford 29 Male 8/23/2011 Canyon 700-block 19th Ave. N.,
Nampa
Nampa Police
Department
A suspect in a robbery, Mefford ran into a nearby home. He was shot during a six-hour
standoff in which Mefford fired shots.
Douglas J. Walters 50 Male 6/17/2011 Bonneville Higbee Avenue and
17th Street, Idaho Falls
Idaho Falls Police
Department
Walters fled during an ISP traffic stop. Police followed him to his home where he shot an
officer point blank in the chest. The officer survived.
Christie O’Leary Little 40 Female 2/7/2011 Kootenai Old U.S. 95 and E. Ohio
Match Road, Hayden
Idaho State Police Little was a passenger in a car driven by Mark M. Maykopet. During a chase after a traffic
stop for speeding, Maykopet rammed an ISP patrol car. The trooper fired multiple shots at
the car, killing Little and wounding Maykopet.
Curtis Scrivener 47 Male 11/18/2010 Idaho East of Riggins Idaho County
Sheriff’s Office
A deputy was shot and injured during a shootout. Scrivener was killed.
Mario Armando
Vasquez
30 Male 8/30/2009 Canyon 4100-block Garrity
Blvd., Nampa
Caldwell Police
Department
After a police chase from Caldwell to Nampa, the suspect pointed a gun at officers.
Randall Vernon
Ellenwood
50 Male 5/18/2009 Nez Perce 22021 Cottonwood
Creek Road
Idaho State Police Ellenwood and a passenger, Daniel Ricardo Rodriguez, overpowered a trooper attempting
to arrest Ellenwood during a traffic stop and began battering him. The trooper shot
Ellenwood and injured Rodriguez.
Randy J. Holler Jr. 20 Male 3/17/2009 Twin Falls 447 Addison Ave. W.,
Twin Falls
Twin Falls Police
Department
Officers saw Holler emerge from a hotel bathroom with a gun. One officer struggled with
him, shooting Holler in the chest. Holler fled into the motel parking lot, and four officers
shot him.
Cody Hanks 29 Male 8/16/2008 Twin Falls 2 East 3800 North,
Kimberly
Idaho State Police An ISP trooper attempted to arrest Hanks during a traffic stop. Hanks drove off, dragging
the trooper, who was caught in the door. The trooper shot Hanks.
Mark Eric Betts 49 Male 7/7/2008 Bonner 119 Colburn Culver
Road, Sandpoint
Bonner County Sheriff’s
Office
Police chased Betts after two robberies. Betts rammed his car into a police car, got out of
his car and fired at an officer.
Rudolph Andrade Jr. 19 Male 2/22/2008 Canyon 3000 Sugar Cane Dr.,
Nampa
Nampa Police
Department
Andrade was shot three times by police outside his girlfriend’s home while holding a large
piece of glass. He ignored officers’ commands to stop moving toward them. Two officers
said they thought the glass was a knife; both officers shot him.
Sarah Stanfield 30 Female 10/26/2007 Payette Fruitland Ada County Sheriff’s
Office, Payette County
Sheriff’s Office
Stanfield crashed her car after a chase that began in Boise and went through three
counties at speeds reaching 100 mph. She got out of her car armed with a handgun, tried
to wave down passing cars to get away, and then tried to get inside a truck before turning
and pointing her gun at a deputy and firing at least one round. Two deputies shot her
eight times.
Donald George Hayes 48 Male 10/25/2007 Jefferson Rigby Jefferson County
Sheriff’s Office
Deputies responded to a family domestic disturbance call. Hayes aimed a handgun and
rifle at them from his pickup. Officers then fired, killing Hayes.
Jimmy J. Duncan 23 Male 7/20/2007 Canyon 720 N. Illinois Ave.,
Caldwell
Caldwell Police
Department
An officer shot Duncan, a murder suspect, after he displayed a gun. Police say Duncan
shot Jose Antonio Ramirez-Salas several times earlier that night.
Logan Brizzee 19 Male 6/30/2007 Twin Falls 1569 Blue Lakes Drive,
Twin Falls
Twin Falls Police
Department
Brizzee was being held by private security for allegedly shoplifting groceries. When police
came to arrest him, he pulled a gun, and they shot.
Ricardo Benitez 47 Male 5/13/2007 Ada 2872 N. Valley Green
Way, Meridian
Meridian Police
Department
Police were called after Benitez threatened his family. An officer shot Benitez after he
lunged at him with a knife.
Theodore A. Hansen 31 Male 4/2/2007 Ada Fred Meyer, 3527 S.
Federal Way, Boise
Boise Police
Department
Police were called to the Fred Meyer store on a report of a man trying to pass a bad
check. Two officers shot Hansen inside the store after he lunged at them with a knife.
Anthony Joseph
Bosworth II
30 Male 3/21/2007 Canyon 1700 Monarch Way,
Nampa
Nampa Police
Department
An officer shot and killed Bosworth during an exchange of gunfire as he ran from officers
and into a farm field. Police were looking for Bosworth in connection with the
disappearance of Meridian bail bondsman Joshua Schmidt, who was later found dead.
Tyler Lowery 40 Male 11/6/2006 Ada Fred Meyer, 10751 W.
Overland Road, Boise
Boise Police
Department, Ada
County Sheriff’s Office
Officers negotiated with Lowery in a parking for about 25 minutes before he pointed his
handgun at them. Six officers – three from Boise and three from the Ada County Sheriff’s
Office – shot him eight times.
Jonathan DiPaola 35 Male 10/11/2006 Ada 416 E. State St.,
Meridian
Ada County
Sheriff’s Office
A deputy shot DiPaola four times as he walked toward officers with his hands moving near
a handgun in his waistband. The standoff began after officers responded to a domestic
violence call at the home of DiPaola’s ex-wife.
Nicholas Verl McKenna 21 Male 8/31/2006 Bannock 870 N. Buchanan Ave.,
Pocatello
Pocatello Police
Department and Idaho
Department of
Correction
Officers attempting to serve a parole-violations warrant shot McKenna after he came out
of a back bedroom with a handgun.
Michael Madonna 38 Male 12/28/2004 Kootenai Coeur d’Alene Kootenai County
Sheriff’s Office
After police had handcuffed Madonna and left him alone in a garage, he ran into the
house, grabbed a gun and fired two shots at an officer, hitting him once in the face. Two
deputies then shot and killed Madonna.
Matthew Jones 16 Male 12/18/2004 Ada 1360 Parkhill Drive,
Boise
Boise Police
Department
An officer killed Jones after he approached the officer with a bayonet rifle in the teen’s
driveway. The boy’s father had called police to report his son was out of control, jabbing
holes in a wall with the bayonet.
Frank Saucedo Jr. 33 Male 6/18/2004 Kootenai Rathdrum Kootenai County
Sheriff’s Office
Armed with a knife, Saucedo rushed at four officers. An officer fired beanbag rounds, but
Saucedo kept running toward them. An officer shot Saucedo twice.
Robert Keith
Underwood
34 Male 1/30/2004 Ada Winco, 8200 W.
Fairview Ave., Boise
Boise Police
Department
Underwood brandished a handgun at an officer in a parking lot and refused repeated
commands to drop his weapon. The officer fired three shots; one hit Underwood in the
chest.
Ross McAbee 19 Male 11/14/2002 Ada Broadway Avenue and
Park Boulevard, Boise
Ada County Sheriff’s
Office, Boise Police
Department, Garden
City Police Department
McAbee was killed during a shootout in a busy Downtown intersection after a 30-mile
chase through two counties.
Brian Allen Poppleton 27 Male 6/12/2000 Ada Franklin Road and Cole
Road, Boise
Boise Police
Department
Poppleton, suicidal, was killed after an hourlong standoff with police in an intersection.
Officers shot him after he turned his gun from himself and pointed it at officers.
ago that law enforcementinvestigated its ownshootings, and that is abad way to do business,”Raney said.With new laws come
policy and trainingchanges meant to preventpolice shootings. Withimproved investigationtechniques come betterinvestigations into policeshootings to determinewhether the use of deadlyforce was justified.“Laws have become
more clear to say thatcops cannot just shootpeople because they arerunning away,” he said.
fatal shootings typicallycame in officers’ responseto crimes ranging fromkidnapping to murder, orwhile serving a warrant orduring a traffic stop. Vic-tims ranged in age from16 to 62. Most were whitemen in their 20s, 30s and40s. Three were women.At least five of the peo-
ple shot were reportedlysuicidal, including BrianAllen Poppleton, the firstof the 47. He was killed in2000 by Boise policegunfire after an hourlongstandoff with officers atFranklin and Cole roads.Poppleton spent most ofthe hour sitting in a truckin the the road and point-ing a gun at his head.Officers shot him after heturned his gun in theirdirection.Three-fourths of the
victims had guns. A Nam-pa police officer shot andkilled Anthony JosephBosworth II, 30, of Star, in2007 during an exchangeof gunfire as he ran fromofficers into a farm fieldnorth of Nampa. Policewere looking for Bosworthin connection with the
disappearance of Merid-ian bail bondsman JoshuaSchmidt, who was laterfound dead.Some cases involved
innocent third parties. In2013, after a high-speedchase, Bradley Wilsontook a man hostage insidea Petco store in Chubbuckand threatened to killhimself and the hostage.An officer fired one shot,killing Wilson. The hos-tage was not harmed.
BOISE’S TROUBLED16 MONTHSPolice shootings in
Boise came under scrutinyin the late 1990s. Eightpeople, including an offi-cer, died in six police-involved shootings over a16-month period. Thevictims included BoisePolice Officer Mark Stalland two other men in-volved in a Downtownshootout in September1997.Former Boise Mayor
Brent Coles and the CityCouncil created an om-budsman’s office in 1997,putting the independentinvestigator in the may-or’s office but giving himaccess to all Boise policerecords. Around that time,all police agencies in AdaCounty formed a taskforce and decided that amember agency wouldconduct criminal investi-gations of another agen-cy’s officer-involvedshootings.In the past 15 years,
Boise has had eight po-lice-involved fatal shoot-ings, the same numberthat occurred during thattroublesome 16-monthperiod in 1996 and 1997.Now Idaho State Police
and the FBI are investi-gating the Nov. 1 deadlyencounter in AdamsCounty between two dep-uties, Brian Wood andCody Roland, and 62-
year-old rancher JackYantis, who died.A dispatcher called
Yantis to a crash sceneinvolving his bull on U.S.95 north of Council. Thebull was alive but mortallywounded.Yantis’s wife and
nephew, who witnessedthe incident, said he wasaiming his rifle at theback of the bull’s head tokill it when one of thedeputies grabbed Yantisfrom behind and swunghim around, and then theother deputy opened fire.Nothing from the depu-ties’ account of the in-cident has been released.In its initial report, theIdaho State Police saidYantis and both deputiesfired their weapons.
IDAHO ‘FORTUNATE’SO FARUnlike many parts of
the country, Idaho has notexperienced random ormass shootings.Raney said Idaho has
been lucky despite itsrural character and short-age of mental health ser-vices. “Statistically a lot ofshootings occur in ruralareas, in part because of
the culture in rural areas… and so many of theshootings are related tomental-health issues,” hesaid.“We also do not have
the sort of things we seein other states, where badcops are protected and getto keep their job. …. Wereally do have good copswho are out there to dothe right thing,” Raneysaid.“We are fortunate in
the events that do nothappen. What the publicnever hears about is theall the instances when acop could have killedsomeone and did not.Those happen so often.”But to think Idaho is
immune to an officerbeing involved in awrongful death is mis-guided, he said: “At somepoint it is going to hap-pen.”
AFTER 9/11, TRAININGAND EQUIPMENTThe rising focus on
about the threats to offi-cers from terrorism in apost-9/11 world.“The pendulum has
swung to a very tacticallevel,” Raney said. TheDepartment of HomelandSecurity has sponsoredtactical training, and thefederal government hasprovided surplus militaryequipment to local lawenforcement agencies.“The shooting scenarios
where we train are, ‘Thereis a threat. You have toshoot fast or you are goingto die,’ ” said Raney.Raney’s formula for
good policing is: Use com-mon sense and followbest practices.Common sense can be
maintained by hiring theright people and ensuringthey are well trained.Following best practicesrequires having policiesand ensuring officersknow and use them.“I see over and over
again across the nationwhere there was a policyin place and nobody haspaid attention to it for thelast five or six years,” hesaid. “When you have thistacit ignoring of a policy,it does not help us.”
RURAL AREASSmall-city and rural law
enforcement agenciesoften face challenges,including getting re-sources, that larger, urbanagencies do not.“They cannot dedicate
someone to create a pol-icy manual,” Raney said.“They do not have theresources to create atraining program.”The money a small
department needs to sendofficers to several weeksof training a year couldinstead buy the depart-ment a much-neededvehicle — likely a usedone because the agencycannot afford a new one.Raney is completing a
project with the IdahoCounties Risk Manage-ment Program, whichinsures local govern-ments, and Idaho’s sher-iffs and police chiefs asso-ciations to create a stan-dardized policy manualfor policing in the state.The Statesman inter-
viewed Raney by phoneon Wednesday while hewas in Chicago, where the
police chief was just firedamid scrutiny over awhite police officer’sshooting of a black teen-ager 16 times in October2014. As he spoke, theSan Bernardino shootingthat killed 14 people hadbegun.“As I stand here, this a
great example, this iswhat police have to betrained to respond to,” hesaid. “To go in when youhave an active shooterand be able to react. Thatis what police face everyday. This heightened levelof awareness, this hyper-vigilance.”
‘THERE ARE ALWAYSLESSONS’Raney, who joined the
Sheriff’s Office in 1983and was elected sheriff in2005, retired this year.He never had to shootsomeone while in the lineof duty. He said numer-ous times he found him-self in a situation wherehe “would absolutely havebeen cleared” in usingdeadly force, but he didnot use it.In one case, Raney
walked into a home and aman was lying on thefloor aiming a rifle atRaney’s head.“I could have shot and
killed him. He knew who Iwas. He knew why I wasthere,” Raney said. In thiscase, the man was havinga bad drug reaction. Ra-ney said he knew that andwas able to de-escalatethe situation and avoidhaving to shoot the man.The next day he visitedthe man in jail.“Good or bad there are
always lessons to belearned,” he said. “I wishwe would do a better jobstatewide of lessonslearned. What can welearn about these sit-uations to make sure itdoes not happen again? …There needs to be anemphasis on how to keepofficers safe, how to avoidthese shootings and howto de-escalate these sit-uations.”
Cynthia Sewell has been aStatesman watchdogreporter for 10 years.208-377-6428,@CynthiaSewell
Idaho police shootings
Sources: Idaho Statesman archives, Idaho media archives,FatalEncounters.org, The Guardian’s The Counted project.
Graphics by LINDSIE BERGEVIN Idaho Statesman
Officer-involved fatal shootings have occurred in 18 ofIdaho’s 44 counties since 2000, including 18 in Adaand Canyon counties, 38 percent of the total.
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Provided by Ada County Critical Incident Task Force
An aerial view of the scene where 16-year-old Matthew Jones was shot by a Boise police officer in the driveway ofJones’ North Boise home on Dec. 18, 2004. The officer shot the teenager after the teen approached him carrying anantique rifle and bayonet.
Statesman file
Ada County sheriff’s deputies shot and killed Jonathan DiPaola after he approachedthem armed with a gun during a standoff on Oct. 11, 2006, in a Meridian neighborhoodnear State and 4th streets.
Statesman file
Police at the scene of an officer-involved shooting onFeb. 16, 2015, on the Boise Bench. A Boise police officershot Michael Casper after Casper pointed his gun atanother officer.