It's unclear where and how many times the unidentified man was shot when three Ada County sheriff's deputies and a Boise police officer opened fire on him early Saturday morning near the intersection of Cloverdale and Barker roads.

The man, 41, is expected to recover from his injuries.

The Meridian Police Department is leading a special task force investigation of the shooting. The Ada County Critical Incident Task Force, made up of officers from the Idaho State Police, Ada County Sheriff's Office and Boise, Meridian and Garden City police departments, is activated when local officers fire their guns in confrontations with suspects. The investigators' job is to determine whether the officers acted appropriately.

According to the Ada County Sheriff's Office, nearly three hours before the shooting, the man was in a house on Madera Place in Kuna, where he threatened and pointed a gun at a man related to him before fleeing in a pickup. That incident led to a 911 call, and sheriff's deputies began searching for him.

About 2:30 a.m., the man himself called 911 and "made threatening statements that indicated he may be planning to harm himself and others," according to a sheriff's office news release. About 30 minutes later, deputies spotted the man's pickup near Cloverdale and Poen roads, a little more than five miles from the Madera Place home.

Deputies said the man got out of the pickup, pointed a gun at himself, then got back in and began driving south on Cloverdale. Three deputies and a Boise officer who was helping followed him.

At some point, he turned around and headed north, in the direction of the officers, who didn't block him, sheriff's spokeswoman Andrea Dearden said. That's a standard approach when suspects are considered dangerous to themselves but aren't in a position to hurt others, Dearden said.

A Meridian police officer, who was also helping the pursuit by now, laid a spike strip across the road, bringing the pickup to a stop near Barker Road.

The man got out of his pickup holding a gun. He pointed it in the direction of the deputies and the Boise officer, all four of whom opened fire. It's unclear how many shots they fired.

At least one bullet hit the man, Dearden said. He was transported to Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center, whose staff told the sheriff's office that he should survive.

The officers' names have not been released. Dearden said there are two reasons for that. First, investigators want to give the officers a chance to tell family members what happened instead of letting them find out through the news media. Second, Dearden said, investigators want to interview the officers before releasing their identities.

She said she expects the names to be released early this week. The name of the man who was shot won't be made public until he's charged with a crime, she said.

The officers have been placed on administrative leave with pay, pending the outcome of the task force's investigation. Protocol requires that the officers be kept separated until they've been interviewed, Dearden said.

Sven Berg: 377-6275