UPDATE (7/16/2020): Eagle Police Officer Brandon Austin was released from the hospital Wednesday. According to a release from the Ada County Sheriff's Office, Officer Austin was shot twice after a short vehicle chase north of Star.
Officer Austin was greeted by family, friends and law enforcement officers from around the Treasure Valley as he left the hospital.
UPDATE (7/14/2020): Matthew Kelly was arraigned via video by Ada County Magistrate Judge Adam Kimball this afternoon. Kelly is charged with felony counts of aggravated battery on a law enforcement officer with an enhancement of using a deadly weapon in the commission of a felony, grand theft and eluding a peace officer, according to a release from the Ada County Prosecutor's Office.
Kelly is also charged with two felony counts of burglary in a separate case from earlier in July. He will be arraigned on that charge Wednesday.
Magistrate Judge Kimball set bond at $2 million. Kelly's next appearance is a preliminary hearing scheduled at 8:30 a.m. on July 23. Idaho law provides the maximum punishment for aggravated battery on a law enforcement officer is up to 30 years in prison and up to a $100,000 fine. The weapon enhancement carries up to an extra 15 years imprisonment.
Matthew Kelly is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
UPDATE (5:45 p.m.): A 21-year-old Emmett man is in custody and charged with felony counts of aggravated battery and eluding arrest. Officials say Matthew S. Kelly shot an Eagle Police Officer after a short vehicle chase this morning.
Officials say the officer underwent surgery for injuries to his arm and shoulder area and is listed in stable condition. They also tell us Kelly did not appear to be injured in connection to the incident.
The incident started just before 7:30 this morning when deputies got a report from the Canyon County Sheriff's Office about a burglary at a home on Idaho 20/26. The victim reported someone stole a yellow motorcycle and headed towards Star on Idaho 44.
Officials say the police officer responded to the call and spotted Kelly, who they had not identified at this time. They say he was driving a yellow motorcycle, matching the one recently stolen, near the Idaho 16/Beacon Light intersection. The officer tried to pull over the suspect, who then drove west on Beacon Light. The motorcycle began to malfunction near N. Pollard Lane, which is where officials say Kelly jumped off the bike.
Initial information indicates this was when the officer stopped his patrol car and when officials say Kelly opened fire, hitting the officer’s car and injuring him. The officer then returned fire. Officials say Kelly then ran away into the neighborhood near the River Birch Golf Course.
A Star Police officer responding to the original call for service arrived at the Pollard Lane location and found the injured officer out of his car. The Eagle Police officer put a tourniquet on himself to help stop the bleeding. The Star officer got the injured Eagle officer into the safety of his car and drove him to meet Ada County Paramedics at Floating Feather Road.
Ada County Emergency 911 dispatchers sent out a Code Red alert to the homes nearby, asking residents to shelter in place and to call if they had any information where their suspect, Kelly, might be hiding.
Eagle and Star police officers, Ada County Sheriff’s Office deputies, and Boise, Meridian, Garden City, and Idaho State police officers formed a perimeter around the area and began a search for Kelly. That search, which lasted about 90 minutes, included the use of K-9 police dogs and drones to search the rural area.
By that time, investigators say they had identified Kelly as the suspect.
An Ada County Sheriff’s Office deputy patrolling nearby identified Kelly’s father riding a motorcycle near the same area and pulled him over.
Investigators were eventually able to use information from that stop to call Kelly on his cell phone.
According to officials, Kelly was found hiding in a cornfield just southwest of the Idaho 16/Beacon Light intersection around 10:30 a.m. Investigators began talking with Kelly by cell phone while a drone located him and made sure he was no longer armed. Officials say Kelly walked out of the field and turned himself in about ten minutes later without any further resistance. Officials say A K9 dog later found the backpack Kelly had on earlier, and two handguns nearby.
Detectives interviewed Kelly, arrested him and booked him into the Ada County Jail late Monday afternoon. Deputies also arrested Kelly’s father, Kevin Kelly, Monday afternoon on unrelated burglary charges and booked him into the Ada County Jail. Both Kellys are set to make their initial court appearances Tuesday afternoon.
The Boise Police Department is the lead agency for the Multi-Agency Critical Incident Task Force investigation into the shooting.
Ada County Sheriff Steve Bartlett wanted to say “thank you” to all the citizens who called in tips and information, and the dozens of law enforcement partners from all over the Treasure Valley who helped them find and arrest their suspect.
UPDATE (12:30 p.m.): The deputy that was shot twice is currently in surgery for his injuries. He was in stable condition before going into surgery and indications from medical professionals show he is expected to recover from his injuries. The name of the deputy is not being released at this time due to the ongoing investigation.
The Boise Police Department is leading the investigation, and more information will be coming from them in the future.
UPDATE (11:02 a.m.): The suspect involved in the shooting is now in custody, according to a tweet from the Ada County Sheriff's Office. Deputies found him in a cornfield near the Idaho 16/Beacon Light intersection.
The suspect turned himself in.
ORIGINAL STORY: Ada County Sheriff's Office deputies are looking for a possible shooting suspect in the Idaho Highway 16 and Beacon Light area north of star. Highway 16 is blocked off at Floating Feather.
The suspect apparently shot an Ada County Sheriff's Office deputy at around 7:30 Monday morning. The Ada County Sheriff's Office describes the suspect as a slender white man with short facial hair wearing a puffy dark green jacket, jeans and a blue bandana. He is considered to be armed and dangerous and was last seen on foot in the area of Highway 16 and Beacon Light.
The original call was a call for service for a home burglary in Canyon County, where a motorcycle was stolen. A patrol unit saw the motorcycle and chased after the suspect for a short period of time. The suspect got off the motorcycle and exchanged gunfire with the deputy. It is not known if the suspect was hit by any shots fired by the deputy.
The deputy was identified as a man, but his name is not being released at this time. He was shot twice by the suspect and is in critical condition at St. Alphonsus Regional Medical Center in Boise. His family has been notified. The deputy has been with the Ada County Sheriff's Office for over a year and has previous experience.
If you live in the area of Idaho Highway 16 and Beacon Light Road and have information on the incident, call Ada County Dispatch at 208-377-6790. Police are looking for any video that could help them in the investigation, including cell phone or video from Ring Doorbells.
The Ada County Sheriff's Office, Boise, Garden City, Meridian and Idaho State Police all responded to the shots fired incident. Boise Police is the lead agency in charge of the investigation. More information will be coming from BPD and there will be another update at 12:15 p.m., the time was moved from 1 p.m. because the suspect is now in custody.
