SUNDAY DECEMBER 6 2015 $2 VOLUME 151, No. 134WWW.IDAHOSTATESMAN.COM/

FACEBOOK.COM/IDAHOSTATESMANTWITTER.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-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.

SPECIAL REPORT: POLICE SHOOTINGS

No Idaho officers charged infatal encounters since 2000.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Law enforcement officers have shot and killed atleast 47 people in line of duty past 15 years.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Officers were cleared in 45 of those deaths; twocases are still under investigation.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The pace of officer-involved fatal shootings is rising.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

BY CYNTHIA SEWELL

csewell@idahostatesman.com

Sources: Idaho Statesman archives, Idaho media archives, FatalEncounters.org, The Guardian’s The Counted project.

0

1

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3

4

5

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2015201420132012201120102009200820072006200520042003200220012000

2000-15: 47 fatal shootings around Idaho

SEE POLICE, 2C

DATABASE

Explore the digital database, with

facts about each shooting and

photos.

IDAHOSTATESMAN.COM

MORE INSIDE

Read a full-page chart listing all

47 shootings over 16 years. 2C

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.

SEE VENEZUELA, 4C

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Waiting in line for hours hasbecome a regular part of life inVenezuela. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

With a critical election Sunday,many blame government forshortages. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Government says corporationsare hiding their supplies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

BY SVEN BERG

sberg@idahostatesman.com

2C SUNDAY DECEMBER 6 2015Depth IDAHOSTATESMAN.COM

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

THE 47 KILLED BY AUTHORITIES

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.

Sources: Idaho Statesman archives, Idaho newspaper archives, FatalEncounters.org, The Guardian’s The Counted project.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

SUNDAY DECEMBER 6 2015 3CDepthIDAHOSTATESMAN.COM

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.

COMMONCIRCUMSTANCESAND TRAITSIdaho’s officer-involved

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

officer-involved shootingsparallels rising concern

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.

FROM PAGE 2C

POLICE

‘‘WE ARE NOTPUTTING AN

EMPHASIS INTO

WHEN TO SHOOT.

WE DO 36 HOURS

OF TRAINING ON

HOW TO SHOOT

AND ABOUT 2

HOURS ON WHEN

TO SHOOT.

Gary Raney