Idaho man in his own backyard fatally shot by officer who mistook him for armed suspect, police say

On Monday, an Idaho police officer killed a man in his own backyard as he searched for an armed suspect in a neighborhood, officials said.

The incident began when a Bonneville County Sheriff’s Deputy stopped a vehicle in Idaho Falls for a routine traffic stop shortly after midnight Monday, according to a statement from Idaho Falls police. While the passenger remained in the car, the suspect ran away, authorities said.

Idaho Falls police officers and Bonneville County Sheriff’s deputies were called to the scene and began searching for the suspect, who was wearing a black shirt and was heading towards a residential area, police said.

A resident told a police officer that he saw the suspect running around their yard and that the resident believed the suspect was armed with a gun. All police officers received this information, police said.

During the search, police learned that the suspect had multiple arrest warrants, including two non-appearance warrants with initial charges of resisting or obstructing arrest. The others concerned accusations of assaulting an officer and providing false information to law enforcement officials, authorities said.

At one point, the passenger who remained in the car received a text message from the suspect and shared his GPS location with the police. GPS showed the suspect was in a backyard in the neighborhood where officers were searching, police said.

“Officers and deputies surrounded the residence and the backyard in order to prevent the suspect from escaping,” the statement said. “Due to reports that the suspect may be armed and a history of violence in his interactions with police officers, law enforcement entered the scene with their service weapons cleared.”

Officers said they heard screams and saw a man in a black shirt. He was armed with a gun and officers told the man to drop the gun, the statement said.

“We don’t currently have the answers on what exactly happened during those times,” Idaho Falls Police Chief Bryce Johnson said. “We know that during this interaction, an Idaho Falls police officer discharged his service weapon while firing a shot at the man.”

“Officers attempted rescue measures but they failed. Emergency medical personnel from the Idaho Falls Fire Department also responded and were also unable to provide life-saving assistance to the man,” he said. Johnson said.

The statement continued, “Ultimately, the officers and deputies determined that the man who was shot was not the suspect man, but was in fact the resident of that address.”

The actual suspect was eventually found hiding in a shed in another back yard and arrested, police said. The Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office, the agency that made the arrest, did not immediately respond to whether he was actually armed.

“There are no words to express how heavy our hearts are today,” Johnson said. “This situation is terribly tragic for the family, for the officer and for those who love and care for them. We all feel the weight of what happened today. Our sincere sympathies go out to the family and friends of those involved, especially the family of the deceased.

Police did not identify anyone involved in the incident, but told NBC News both the suspect and the victim were white and the officer who fired the gun was Latino.

Body camera images of the incident have not been released.

The officer has been placed on administrative leave, while an independent investigation of the Eastern Idaho Critical Incident Task Force is conducted. The findings will be forwarded to the Bonneville County District Attorney after the investigation is complete.

The Idaho Falls Police Department will conduct their own investigation to determine if the proper protocols were followed.