Iraq Veteran who pointed gun at Boise police may get help

An Iraq War veteran accused of shooting into two locked apartments before his confrontation with Boise police officers this summer has been declared mentally competent to stand trial.

But Ada County prosecutors said Thursday they are investigating treatment options for 38-year-old George Nickel Jr.

Nickel was charged with one count of unlawful discharge of a firearm into an occupied dwelling, four counts of assault or battery of a law enforcement officer, and one count of using a weapon in the commission of a felony. The potential deal would drop the rest of the charges if he pleads guilty to shooting the gun into the apartments.

One of 100 Idaho Army Reservists with the 321st Engineer Battalion who spent a year in Iraq hunting and disarming roadside bombs, Nickel has been in the Ada County Jail since his arrest.

His criminal case was put on hold after a judge ordered a mental health evaluation in August to see if Nickel was mentally competent to understand legal proceedings against him and actively participate in his defense.

That analysis was completed Oct. 30 and determined Nickel was competent to proceed, according to court testimony Thursday.

Nickel is scheduled to enter a plea Nov. 16 in front of 4th District Judge Deborah Bail.

Police say Nickel was looking for his dog in his apartment building July 28 when he used an AR-15 rifle to try to shoot the locks off two different doors.

Ada County prosecutors say Nickel also was carrying a handgun and was wearing a tactical vest with as many as 90 rounds of ammunition.

When officers confronted Nickel in a stairway, police say he pointed a handgun at them. Four officers fired an estimated 12 rounds at Nickel, who took cover behind a door and then surrendered, according to court testimony.

Nickel didn't shoot back, and no one was struck by any of the gunfire.

Nickel's former commanding officer and one of his fellow soldiers say his behavior must have something to do with the physical or mental injuries he sustained in February 2007, when he suffered a broken leg and shrapnel in his face in a roadside bomb explosion that killed three Idaho soldiers.

Nickel was the only one of his group to come out alive.

Nickel was awarded the Purple Heart and Bronze Star for bravery, said U.S. Army Capt. Eric R. Coulson, who was Nickel's commanding officer in Iraq.

Nickel worked as an officer for the Idaho Department of Correction before and after his time in Iraq, but has not worked for the IDOC since August.

The charge of unlawful discharge of a firearm into an occupied dwelling is punishable by up to 15 years in prison.

Patrick Orr: 373-6619