Ada County deputies cleared in shooting of armed man who set fire that killed 3
Pavel Florea had extremely high levels of methamphetamine in his system when he burst into a rural Ada County home, threatened to kill two deputies, pointed a shotgun at them and then set the house ablaze, the Ada County Sheriff’s Office said Wednesday.
The 35-year-old felon died in the Sept. 27, 2017, house fire, along with an elderly woman who lived there, Carmen Abbott, 84. Her son, Scott McAlister, 55, died the next day at the University of Utah Burn Center. McAlister’s wife, Lily, was the sole survivor.
The two deputies who fired a total of six rounds on Florea that night — Chris Matkin and Sage Hickam — have been cleared of any wrongdoing in connection with the officer-involved shooting, according to the Critical Incident Task Force investigation.
Boise Police led the task force’s year-long investigation, and Twin Falls Prosecutor Grant Loebs reviewed their 275-page report. The sheriff’s office released their findings Wednesday.
Loebs found that Matkin, Hickam and other deputies at the scene that night showed professionalism and courage as they risked their own lives to save others, the sheriff’s office said in its release.
It’s still a mystery why the Nampa man, a meth addict with a violent history, went on a rampage at the McAlisters’ house that night. The couple did not know Florea, and investigators found no other link.
Detectives came up with a couple theories: One was that Florea saw a Facebook ad for a moving sale at the house and decided to try to steal those items. The other was that he confused the McAlisters’ house with another nearby house that had a history of drug activity.
Florea had been in a series of disputes in the weeks leading up to the home invasion, and investigators found evidence that he stole the shotgun from an acquaintance. They don’t know for sure if he actually fired it at deputies.
A few days before the home invasion, two men who were concerned about Florea’s behavior went to Nampa police to warn them that he was abusing drugs and out of control. They were alarmed when Florea posted a message asking his Facebook friends to bring him his ex-girlfriend alive and kill her new boyfriend for a bonus.
An autopsy determined that Florea had a gunshot wound in his foot — possibly from one of two deputies who fired on him that night. He died from acute carbon monoxide poisoning, and his death was ruled to be a suicide by the Ada County Coroner’s Office, the sheriff’s office said.
Investigators believe Florea used some kind of an accelerant, such as gas, to start the fire.
Deputies were called to the house in the 1500 block of West Amity Road at about 10:30 p.m. Sept. 27 for a report of a prowler. Residents of the house could hear someone pounding on the door and attempting to break in.
When Hickam and Matkin arrived, they saw a man holding a long gun come out of the house. They said he refused commands to put his gun down, and they fired on him. He told deputies he was shot and wouldn’t come out of the house, the sheriff’s office said.
Within 15 minutes of the initial 911 call, the house was on fire. Deputies broke out windows and helped the McAlisters get out of the house but they were unable to help Scott’s mother.
Katy Moeller: 208-377-6413
This story was originally published October 17, 2018 at 11:58 PM.