Eagle police officer shot in July to be honored during Famous Idaho Potato Bowl in Boise
An Eagle police officer shot in the line of duty this summer will be honored during the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl in Boise on Tuesday.
Officer Brandon Austin will be honored at the bowl game between Nevada and Tulane as part of the national “Honor a Responder” program sponsored by SERVPRO, a fire and water cleanup company that restores buildings damaged by disasters.
Austin was shot twice on July 13 when he attempted to pull over a burglary suspect near the intersection of Beacon Light Road and Idaho 16 north of Star. Austin was taken to a Boise hospital in critical condition. As of Monday, Austin was still recovering from his injuries and has yet to return to duty.
Rather than the award being presented on the field during halftime, Austin was honored by a local SERVPRO franchise in a small ceremony at the Eagle Police station, according to a news release from the company. Austin was nominated for the award by his department, as well as the Ada County Sheriff’s Office.
“Brandon Austin paid a huge price that day for selflessly defending our community,” Patrick Orr, ACSO public information officer, said in a news release. “When people ask what the Ada County Sheriff’s Office is about, we say everything we do is to help to make our community a safer place to live, work, and play.”
Eagle contracts with the Sheriff’s Office for its police force.
The man who shot Austin, Matthew Kelly, was arrested hours later and pleaded guilty to two felony charges in November. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for February.
The Famous Idaho Potato Bowl — which will be played on the Blue at Boise State’s Albertsons Stadium —is one of several televised bowl games that will honor local first responders for their service to their community.
Kickoff for the game between one of the Broncos’ Mountain West rivals and the Green Wave from New Orleans is set for 1:30 p.m. The matchup will be aired on ESPN.
