BOISE, Idaho — One person is dead after an exchange of gunfire with Boise Police late Wednesday night.
The Boise Police Department says officers were dispatched to a situation involving an armed person around 10:24 p.m. on N. 20th St.
The department says officers staged nearby while gathering more information. The officers on the scene requested more officers around 10:43 p.m. when officers say they could hear shots being fired.
The police department says they quickly located the suspect, and there was an exchange of gunfire where the suspect was struck.
Police activity on the 700 block of N. 20th Street. Boise police have secured the scene, there is no active threat. Preliminary information shows around 10:24pm officers responded to a report of an armed subject and upon their arrival were immediately engaged in gun fire. (1/2)
— Boise PD (@BoisePD) July 27, 2023
Ada County Paramedics pronounced the individual dead on the scene.
Ada County Critical Incident Task Force (CITF) led by the Garden City Police Department is investigating.
No officers were physically injured during the incident and involved officers will be placed on administrative leave.
Boise Police Chief Ron Winegar, after providing the factual update in the early morning hours at the scene, also went off script when addressing the media:
"We live in a safe community, we enjoy relatively low crime rates in Boise, especially when compared with other cities our size. But I am seeing an increasing frequency with which our officers are encountering people willing to use force, deadly force, and weapons against officers in the course of their duties. And to me, that is absolutely unacceptable.
Officers tonight were fired upon by a subject, and those officers acted courageously in protecting the community. Officers involved in situations like this ... it takes a tremendous toll on them and their families. And while we, certainly, understand the difficult situation that this entire event is, and was, for the family members of the person who is deceased, it is difficult for everyone involved. I .... I don't want to see this happen again in our community. But, odds are it probably will. And that is unfortunate because our officers are out doing their best to respond to these types of incidents with courage and with resolve ... to protect the members of our community and resolve the situations peacefully is always their goal. Unfortunately, there are times, like this, when there is very little other choice.
When you are fired upon, with gunfire, or you are assaulted with weapons .... these incidents become a deadly force encounter, and it's happening all too frequently in our community."
Detectives ask anyone who witnessed the incident to call Ada County Dispatch at 208-377-6790.
