Idaho man gets lengthy prison sentence for shooting Eagle police officer last summer
An Emmett man who pleaded guilty to shooting an Eagle police officer last year was sentenced to a decades-long prison term Friday.
Matthew Stillhallis Kelly, 21, was sentenced to up to 54 years in prison, with eligibility for parole after 35 years. In November, Kelly pleaded guilty to felonies for assault or battery on certain personnel with an aggravated enhancement and grand theft by receiving or possessing stolen property.
Kelly was the subject of a multihour manhunt last July 13 after Eagle police officer Brandon Austin was shot. Austin tried to pull over Kelly after the Emmett man was seen driving a yellow motorcycle that was believed to be stolen from a Canyon County home.
After a brief vehicle chase, Kelly got off the motorcycle and Austin stopped to pursue him.
“Initial information indicates it was when the officer stopped his patrol car to investigate that Kelly opened fire, shooting into the officer’s car, hitting and injuring him,” according to a press release from the Ada County Sheriff’s Office after the shooting.
The city of Eagle contracts its police force through the Sheriff’s Office.
Kelly shot Austin twice, and the officer put a tourniquet on himself to help stop the bleeding. Fellow officers found Austin and rushed him to the hospital.
Kelly ran into a nearby neighborhood near River Birch Golf Course, which sits along Beacon Light Road and Pollard Lane. Multiple law enforcement agencies were dispatched to the scene to help search for Kelly, including the Ada Metro SWAT team. Kelly later surrendered to police. Law enforcement later said that a K-9 dog found a backpack of Kelly’s with two handguns inside.
Kelly, who has been held in jail in lieu of a $2 million bail since his arrest, was sentenced Friday morning by District Judge Jonathan Medemato.
Ada County Sheriff Steve Bartlett said in a news release that he is “relieved” Kelly will be in prison for decades to come.
“The utterly senseless shooting and wounding of Brandon Austin this past summer represents one of the darkest days in the over 150 years this agency has been protecting our community,” Bartlett said in the statement. “Today is a better day.”
Austin underwent surgery after the shooting and was hospitalized for three days before being released. He was greeted by family, friends and members of law enforcement upon leaving the hospital.
According to Patrick Orr, a spokesperson for the Ada County Sheriff’s Office, Austin is still recovering and has not yet returned to work.
“Thank you to the local law enforcement agencies who assisted in this investigation for the thorough investigation conducted into the multiple crimes involved,” said Ada County Prosecutor Jan Bennetts in a news release. “The hard work and dedication of our law enforcement partners helped us ensure justice was served.”
As of Friday, Kelly was still in custody at the Canyon County jail, and it was not immediately clear when he will be transferred to the Idaho Department of Correction to begin his prison term.
