Sheriff’s report: Off-duty Idaho police chief killed camper after victim fired 2 shots
Authorities in Custer County released a new report Wednesday alleging that an Ada County man was possibly intoxicated when he pulled a handgun on campers prior to being fatally shot by an off-duty police chief in August.
The report, released Wednesday, outlines the events leading to the shooting of 73-year-old Russell Liddell by Brian Zimmerman, the chief of police for Bonners Ferry.
Investigators say that Zimmerman was with 17 family members on a multiday UTV trip, and on Aug. 1 the group stopped at the Tin Cup Campground in Custer County at around 4 p.m. to camp for the night.
Witnesses told police that at around 10:15 p.m., a blue pickup truck with Ada County license plates pulled into the campground and idled for several minutes, causing some in the group to take note. The pickup drove past the group’s main campsite and later tried to back up the pickup and came “within feet” of a tent with two people inside.
A woman in Zimmerman’s campsite walked up to the driver to see whether he needed help backing up, as it was already dark outside. The woman spoke to the driver — later identified as Liddell — who told her that the tent was in his camping spot.
She told police that Liddell “appeared agitated and upset they were camping in his ‘spot,’” the report says. A man inside the tent came out and also spoke with Liddell. That man told police that Liddell “smelled like alcohol” and reportedly made comments about “all you f------ Californians coming up here” with “fancy toys,” according to the report.
The man from the tent told Liddell to leave or else he would run him off with a “41” — a reference to a gun — and Liddell told the man that he had .45-caliber handgun.
The man walked back toward his tent, and Liddell reportedly backed the pickup far enough down the road that it could turn around and circle back. Liddell’s pickup stopped with its headlights shining toward the man’s tent, according to the report.
Zimmerman told police that he could hear the interaction between Liddell and the woman, and he went to his UTV to get his .40-caliber handgun and concealed it in his pants pocket. Zimmerman said he was not aware that Liddell had talked to the man in the tent or that Liddell had a weapon.
Zimmerman and two others approached Liddell, who was still in the pickup with his window down, the report said. From about 20 feet away, Zimmerman asked what was going on and whether Liddell needed help. The police chief said Liddell “mumbed something” but he couldn’t tell what. Zimmerman’s group asked Liddell to “watch his language” after the way he spoke to the others.
This prompted Liddell to get out of the pickup, and witnesses told police that he “stumbled and nearly fell down.” Liddell allegedly opened the pickup’s back passenger door before Zimmerman and the two others heard the sound of a pistol being racked. Zimmerman said this prompted him to take out his handgun and hold it against his leg.
Witnesses said Liddell then turned counter-clockwise and fired his gun twice. Zimmerman fired back at Liddell. The police chief told investigators that he thought he fired five shots.
Liddell fell, and Zimmerman said he retrieved the man’s gun. Later, another man in the camp secured both Liddell’s and Zimmerman’s guns, according to the report.
A nurse and a former paramedic in Zimmerman’s camp checked Liddell for vital signs, but neither could find a pulse, they said in the report.
One of the three who had confronted Liddell drove a UTV to a nearby ranch and used a phone to contact police dispatchers.
A Custer County deputy and an Idaho State Police trooper arrived at the campground at about 1:44 a.m., according to the report. The Custer County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release in the days after the shooting that police were called at around 10:30 p.m. that night.
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. The Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office led the investigation.
When contacted by phone, a member of the Custer County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office said the case has not yet been fully screened by the prosecutors, and there’s no timeline for that.
The release of the report does not mean Zimmerman has been cleared of wrongdoing.
After the shooting, Bonners Ferry officials said they would not put Zimmerman on administrative leave, saying his actions were not related to his employment.
Before he was appointed to be the police chief in Bonners Ferry in April 2018, Zimmerman served as Middleton’s police chief from 2014-2017. He resigned in May 2017 after disputes with the town’s mayor.
Prior to that, Zimmerman was a member of the ISP. He retired as a captain in 2012.
This story was originally published October 21, 2020 at 12:28 PM.
CORRECTION: This story has been updated from a previous version to correct information. According to the report, one of the men in the large camping group told the victim, Liddell, to leave or else he would run him off with a “41,” and Liddell then told the man that he had .45-caliber handgun.
