BOISE, Idaho — Over a hundred people gathered on the lawn of Boise City hall on Friday night to protest the police shooting death of Payton Wasson.
The 22-year-old Nampa resident was shot in the head early Saturday morning. Police say Wasson had a gun, was fleeing police, and refused commands to stop.
Related | BPD Chief addresses the police shooting that resulted in the death of Payton Wasson
The shooting is being investigated by the Critical Incident Task Force, led by the Ada County Sheriff's Office. Boise Police are also conducting their own internal investigation. Both investigations are ongoing and no body camera footage will be released until they have concluded.
A counter protest was planned by the Idaho Liberty Dogs. There were a few different conflicts between Black Lives Matter protesters and the Idaho Liberty Dogs, and police responded multiple times. Idaho News 6 did not see any arrests or anyone treated for injuries.
Organizers of the protest had multiple speakers including a long-time friend of Wasson's, Loyal Melton. Melton focused his speech on the good times he shared with Wasson.
“When he shows up I just smile like this and I want to hug him, that’s really it," Melton told Idaho News 6 about Payton. "He had some issues, he had some, he had some problems, he was kind of angry, but he was a great man. Anything for his friends his brothers he would do."
Melton says while Wasson had his issues with police, he was human and his family deserves truth.
“I think there’s a lot of hairy situations that come with the police officers you know what I’m saying, cause they’re always right," Melton said. "They’re always winning, they have the badge, they have the guns, they have the handcuffs. We just want the truth. we want to know what happened, what was said, how it ended that way, how it couldn’t have ended a separate day and why we’re here today, you know?”
