Boise police identify officers involved in Foothills shooting on Saturday

The Boise Police Department has identified six officers involved in Saturday morning’s shooting at the Hulls Gulch hiking area.

The involved officers are: Eric Johnson, who has spent 14 years with BPD; Robert Johnson, 11 years with BPD; Andrew Johnson, 16 years with BPD; Chris Zimmer, 4 years with BPD; Chris Wirshing, 10 years with BPD; and Tyjuan Lynn, 1 year with BPD.

The officers returned fire on an unidentified man who police say threatened hikers and dogs in the Foothills area, and reportedly shot and killed one family’s dog.

No officers were injured in the exchange. The man died at the scene.

In the same press release, police said all trails in the Hulls Gulch area have been cleared and are open

The Meridian Police Department is leading a Critical Incident Task Force investigation into the shooting. MPD has not yet returned requests for comment on aspects of the investigation.

Three of the six officers have been involved in shooting investigations before, one a well-known incident involving a teenager.

Officer Andrew Johnson in 2004 fatally shot 16-year-old Matthew Jones in front of the family’s house as the boy approached holding an unloaded antique rifle with a bayonet attached. Johnson was later cleared of any wrongdoing, but the incident prompted Boise’s community ombudsman to suggest better police training on handling people with mental health issues or who otherwise are in crisis.

The other shooting, in 2013, involved a dog that police said aggressively charged officers Eric Johnson and Robert Johnson (no relation) while the two investigated a cell phone theft. Robert Johnson shot and killed the Lab/pit bull mix; his actions were later deemed justified. The dog’s owner said the dog was protecting a litter of six puppies that she had recently birthed.

This story was originally published March 19, 2017 at 3:20 PM with the headline "Boise police identify officers involved in Foothills shooting on Saturday."