Deputies: Boise man shot, killed by Idaho police chief after incident in Custer County
A Boise man was shot and killed earlier this month by the Bonners Ferry Police Department’s chief, according to a news release from the Custer County Sheriff’s Office.
The news release says that at roughly 10:30 p.m. on Aug. 1, Custer County deputies were dispatched to the scene of a shooting near the Tin Cup Campground in the county. Deputies found the man who was shot, and he later died. On Aug. 13 he was identified as 73-year-old Boise resident Russell Liddell.
Liddell reportedly confronted a group of 16 to 18 people at the campground before a “verbal altercation” broke out between him and the members of the group, according to the release. The Sheriff’s Office says that Brian Zimmerman, Bonners Ferry police chief, shot Liddell while off-duty at the campground.
The city of Bonners Ferry said in a press release Thursday that Zimmerman “returned fire after being fired upon by an armed individual who confronted Chief Zimmerman and the group with which he was traveling.”
After the shooting, investigators were told that the group of campers began life-saving measures on Liddell and went to an area with cellphone service to dial 911. No other injuries were reported in connection to the shooting.
After Custer County deputies arrived at the scene, they requested resources from the Eastern Idaho Critical Task Force to help with the investigation, the news release says. The task force will lead the investigation into the shooting.
Multiple law enforcement agencies were called to the scene to help with the investigation, including detectives with the Bonneville, Bingham and Fremont County sheriff’s offices, the Idaho Falls Police Department, and the Idaho State Police, according to the news release.
The matter is still under investigation, and detectives continue to process evidence in the case, officials said.
When reached by phone Thursday morning, the Bonners Ferry Police Department declined to comment on the matter. The release sent later in the day said that city officials were made aware of the incident shortly after it happened and that the city “does not feel that administrative leave or other personnel action by the city of Bonners Ferry is necessary at this time as Chief Zimmerman’s actions were in no way related to his employment.”
Zimmerman has a connection to the Treasure Valley, having served as Middleton’s police chief after helping to create the city’s department. Prior to 2014, Middleton had contracted with the Canyon County Sheriff’s Office for police services. Zimmerman resigned from his Middleton position in May 2017 over disputes with the city’s mayor and was appointed chief of the Bonners Ferry department in April 2018 when its police chief stepped down.
Before starting the Middleton department from scratch, Zimmerman had a career with the Idaho State Police of over 25 years, retiring from that agency in 2012 as a captain.
This story was originally published August 13, 2020 at 10:39 AM.
