Charges are on hold for an Idaho man shot by Boise police in June. Here’s why
The case against an Idaho man shot by Boise police officers earlier this year is now on hold.
Online court records for Mohamud Hassan Mkoma, 33, show that the refugee from East Africa was declared not competent to stand trial after a psychological examination. An order in his case was filed Monday, and its title indicates that Mkoma “lacks fitness to proceed.”
Mkoma faces multiple felony counts, including three counts of lewd conduct with a child under age 16, one count of aggravated assault, one count of aggravated battery upon certain personnel and one felony enhancement for use of a deadly weapon. He also faces four misdemeanor charges.
On June 27, three Boise police officers were involved in the shooting of Mkoma near the intersection of Eyrie Way and 36th Street. Mkoma speaks very little English, according to his family, and he was hospitalized for months after the shooting. He is now in the custody of the Ada County Jail, with bail set at $500,000.
Family and supporters of Mkoma dispute the details of the day of the shooting, alleging that the Boise Police Department put out false information surrounding the events.
In July, prosecutors filed the numerous charges against Mkoma, alleging that he sexually abused a child and was holding a knife when he was shot by police, after first fleeing from them.
In charging documents, prosecutors say that Mkoma committed lewd acts and sexually abused children ranging from ages 4 to 13 in January 2020. They said that on the day he was shot, Mkoma brandished a knife toward a person who is not identified in the documents, and also threatened police officers with it, creating “a well-founded fear in Boise Police Officers that such violence was imminent, where the defendant knew or had reason to know of the Boise Police Officers’ official status.”
The shooting drew some community backlash, including a gathering of supporters outside Boise’s City Hall to protest the city’s handling of the case. Supporters have pushed for investigators to release body camera footage of the incident.
City leaders like Mayor Lauren McLean and Boise Police Chief Ryan Lee have voiced their support for possibly releasing body camera footage early. However, Ada County Prosecutor Jan Bennetts has said doing so would impede the ongoing investigation and the judicial process for both Mkoma and the police officers.
Though the case is now listed as inactive, Mkoma’s next court appearance is scheduled for Nov. 1.
This story was originally published October 4, 2021 at 2:11 PM.
