Boise police perceived ‘deadly threat’ in Wednesday shooting, provide few details
A man reported to be suicidal remains hospitalized in critical condition two days after Boise police shot him Wednesday night, with officers acting under the belief that they faced a “deadly threat,” the Boise Police Department said in a Friday afternoon news release.
The man, not yet publicly identified by police, had an active warrant out for his arrest, according to the release. After searching for him in the downtown Boise area for about 30 minutes, they found him at the intersection of West Myrtle Street and South Capitol Boulevard, police said.
BPD previously stated that officers downtown had prior interactions with the man and were aware of his criminal history when 911 dispatch received a report of a suicidal individual who was threatening to jump off an overpass or building. They found him in an open lot when they engaged him, police said.
Two members of the Boise police force were involved in the incident Wednesday at about 5:30 p.m.: Officer Matt Jacobs, who has been with BPD for 14 years, and Officer Clifton Snodderly, who is a four-year member of the department. Both officers are now on paid administrative leave, per standard department protocols.
Jacobs was involved in at least one prior police shooting, in May 2012, according to records. Jacobs shot and killed a Boise man armed with a gun who was reported to be suicidal and moved toward the officer. Jacobs was later cleared in a review, with a community ombudsman ruling that he followed the department’s use-of-force policy and was justified in shooting the 37-year-old man.
Boise police have so far been unwilling to say whether the man shot by officers had a weapon, or whether he attempted to use it against them if he did. It is also unclear whether the involved officers had their body-worn cameras activated.
“The specifics about the incident, the evidence, and the body cams will have to be released once the investigation is complete,” BPD spokesperson Haley Williams told the Idaho Statesman by email.
Both officers had completed mandatory crisis intervention training, Williams said.
The incident initiated the Ada County Critical Incident Task Force to investigate, which is standard for all shootings involving police officers. The investigation is being led by the Garden City Police Department, while a separate investigation will be conducted by the city of Boise’s Office of Police Accountability. BPD also will perform its own internal investigation, the Friday news release said.
The shooting incident Wednesday marked the eighth involving police in the Treasure Valley this year. Five of those shootings have involved the Boise Police Department, which also includes Monday’s deadly attack at the Boise Towne Square mall, where police responded to a shooting and engaged the assailant after he killed two people and injured four others.
This story was originally published October 29, 2021 at 4:02 PM.
