Boise Police officer's actions were justified in Jan. 1 shooting, prosecutor says

The Twin Falls County prosecutor has found that the actions of a Boise Police officer who shot a man Jan. 1 were justified, according to a Boise Police press release.

The prosecutor, Grant Loebs, said in a statement that "there is insufficient evidence to support a criminal charge against any of the law enforcement officers involved" in the incident. The man shot by police survived, but he has never been identified by law enforcement.

The officer who shot the man was identified in January as Officer A. Nielsen, a six-year veteran of the Boise Police Department with 12 years total experience in law enforcement.

The Garden City Police Department led the Ada County Critical Incident Task Force investigation into the incident, and the Twin Falls County Prosecuting Attorney's Officer reviewed the task force's findings.

At 7:15 a.m. Jan. 1, Boise Police were dispatched to the 900 block of South Wild Phlox Way to a report that there was a man with a gun on the porch of a home. Moments later, dispatch received a call from a woman, later identified as the man's daughter, that she had received a text from her father saying “I’m going home to die.”

According to the press release, officers observed a man exit the carport area of the home and could see he was bleeding from his neck. Police say the man was walking slowly toward officers with his right hand behind his back. Officers could not see what was in the man’s hand, and they repeatedly ordered the man to show his hands, according to the press release.

Police say the man posed a physical threat as he approached officers and refused orders to show his hand. The officer closest to the man fired his duty weapon three times, striking the man. Officers provided first aid to the man and searched the home for any additional suspects or injured people. The man had multiple self-inflicted knife wounds and a knife was found on his person, according to the press release.

The man was rushed to a local hospital, and he has since been treated and released.

This story was originally published June 26, 2018 at 12:45 PM.