Ada Coroner’s Office names man shot, killed by police last week in downtown Boise
The Ada County Coroner’s Office has identified the Idaho man shot by Boise police officers last week who died over the weekend.
In a Monday afternoon news release, the coroner’s office identified the man as 26-year-old Boise resident Zachary Snow, who died at 2:55 a.m. Saturday at Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center in Boise.
The coroner’s office did not rule on Snow’s cause or manner of death, labeling both as pending. The release says Snow was hospitalized after “an altercation with law enforcement” on Wednesday.
However, the Boise Police Department said in a release last week that the man was shot by police. Two police officers are on paid administrative leave — Officers Matt Jacobs and Clifton Snodderly, who have been with the BPD for 14 and four years, respectively. It is common practice to place officers on paid leave following police shootings.
Police said in a news release they were alerted to a reportedly suicidal man around 5 p.m. Wednesday who was threatening to jump off an overpass or tall building. After searching downtown, police located him near South Capitol Boulevard and West Myrtle Street. Some of the BPD officers in the area had “previous contacts with the subject and were aware of his criminal history,” according to the Wednesday news release.
After trying to approach Snow, police said in the news release that they “perceived a threat” before shooting him. In a Friday news release, BPD said the officers perceived a “deadly threat.”
As of Monday, it is unknown if Snow had a weapon in his possession when he was shot by police.
For those who knew Snow, he’s remembered as someone who cared for others and enjoyed drawing pictures, but had his issues.
“He always tried to do what he could to make people’s lives better, whether it was through laughter or jokes,” said Timothy Morgan, the partner of Snow’s sister, during an interview with the Idaho Statesman. “He really cared a lot for others.”
In November 2016, Snow pleaded guilty to one felony count of possessing a controlled substance, and he was sentenced to at least two years in prison with a maximum sentence of seven years.
According to a guilty plea advisory form in the case, Snow, then 21, had finished school only up to eighth grade. He also described having multiple mental health conditions and was prescribed medication.
Online records from the Idaho Department of Correction indicate Snow was released from prison on June 15 of this year.
At the time of his death, Snow was on probation in connection with the felony drug charge, with his probation scheduled to end in 2023. He also had an active warrant after failing to appear in court in August on several misdemeanor charges stemming from a June 2016 arrest. An affidavit for the warrant described him as someone experiencing homelessness as of August 2021.
The coroner’s office said the investigation into Snow’s death was still ongoing, and it is being conducted by the Ada County Critical Incident Task Force and the Garden City Police Department.
The Wednesday police shooting is at the least the 11th fatal shooting in Idaho so far in 2021, according to Idaho Statesman archives. The shooting is also the eighth to take place in the Treasure Valley so far this year, with or without a fatality.
This story was originally published November 1, 2021 at 5:42 PM.
