Ada, Canyon have seen 11 police shootings in 2021. Here’s what we know — and don’t know
Idaho police have fatally shot 12 people in 2021, a steep rise from the six fatal police shootings in 2020 and the eight fatal shootings in 2019. Of the 12 fatal police shootings this year, half have taken place in Ada or Canyon counties.
So far in 2021, police officers in the Treasure Valley have been involved in 11 shootings, with most taking place in the latter half of the year. In at least six shootings, officers shot a person dead, while four were nonfatal. One shooting remains unclear whether police were responsible for a death.
Any time a police officer in Ada or Canyon county fires their gun, a critical incident task force is convened, which is made up of police departments within that county. An outside prosecutor then takes the information gathered during the investigation to make a ruling on whether the shooting was legally justified or if criminal charges are warranted.
Boise and Nampa police departments combined were involved in eight of the 11 shootings. When asked for a potential explanation for the rising number of police shootings this year, a Nampa Police Department spokesperson declined to comment. A Boise police spokesperson could not give analysis from the department by the time of publication.
Below are descriptions of all fatal and nonfatal police shootings in the Treasure Valley for 2021, compiled from news releases after the shootings, body camera footage and new details from law enforcement officials. While the shootings are disclosed to the public, often a large amount of information has not been released, as investigations have been ongoing.
As of Tuesday, law enforcement has only released body camera footage from officers involved in one shooting, which took place in April.
Garden City fatal shooting
On April 13, Garden City police officers were sent to a home in the 5100 block of North Quinella Street after receiving reports of a domestic disturbance. The officers spoke with a woman outside of the home before asking 58-year-old Thomas Bunde to come outside.
Body camera footage released during an Aug. 12 news conference showed Bunde exit the home while holding a gun, saying “I’ll blow your f****** head off.” Two officers fired their weapons and killed Bunde. During the news conference, Valley County Prosecutor Brian Naugle announced that the two officers were justified in using lethal force, clearing them of any wrongdoing.
Though body camera footage was made public, the names of the two officers who shot Bunde were not released. At the news conference, Garden City Police Chief Rick Allen declined to identify the officers because “people like to target police sometimes, they make threats against police.”
Mohamud Mkoma shot, injured by Boise PD
On June 27, police in Boise were told that a man had taken a 14-year-old boy. After spotting the man, a brief car chase ensued and later ended near the corner of 36th Street and Eyrie Way after police spun out the car.
Police say the man — later identified as Mohamud Hassan Mkoma, a Boise man and Somali Bantu refugee — allegedly brandished a knife before he was shot by three Boise police officers.
The shooting caused backlash and criticism of the Boise Police Department, as Mkoma’s family and supporters said the 14-year-old boy was his son and that Mkoma speaks little English. Advocates have also said BPD issued inaccurate information on the circumstances surrounding the shooting, and pushed for body camera footage to be released. BPD has not yet released any footage.
According to court documents, officers fired 20 times and hit Mkoma five times. Mkoma spent weeks in a Boise hospital before he was transferred to the Ada County Jail. He was later committed to the custody of the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare after he was deemed mentally unfit for trial. Mkoma faces six felony charges, including three counts of lewd conduct with a child under age 16.
After the shooting, Boise police identified the three officers who fired their guns as Officers Steve Martinez, Aaron Hartje and Jeffrey Ridgeway. The investigation into the shooting is ongoing.
Nampa traffic stop leads to shooting
Around 11:30 p.m. on July 7, Nampa police tried to pull over a driver near West Roosevelt Avenue and Pine Street before the man allegedly pointed a rifle at police and drove off, according to a Nampa Police Department news release. Police chased the car to the driver’s home in the 500 block of East Washington Avenue, where the driver drove the car through a fence, ran into the home, and allegedly threatened police in the process. The man would later be identified as Nampa resident Richard Bigby-Garcia.
Bigby-Garcia was in the doorway of the home when police say he again threatened police. He then went to the upstairs of his home with a firearm, and “officers on scene discharged their firearms, striking the subject,” according to a news release from the Nampa Police Department.
Police went inside the home and took Bigby-Garcia to a nearby hospital. Bigby-Garcia was treated and released before he was booked into the Canyon County jail on multiple charges. As of Tuesday, he was still in jail, and he faces two felony charges — aggravated assault and attempting to elude a police officer — and a misdemeanor stemming from the incident.
It is not clear how many officers fired their guns, or what specifically prompted police to shoot at Bigby-Garcia. The names of the officers involved has not been released. Body camera footage of the shooting has not yet been released, and the investigation is ongoing.
Boise man shot inside stolen moving van
Around 7 p.m. on July 11, police were sent to the 7000 block of Overland Road in Boise after hearing of a reckless driver in a moving van that was damaged and possibly involved in a crash, according to a Boise Police Department news release. Officers later learned the vehicle was stolen, and tried to pull over the van before the driver allegedly swerved toward police and drove away. After ending a potential car chase due to high speeds, police found the van in the 10000 block of Riley Court. Police again tried to stop the driver, who then allegedly rammed the van into a patrol car.
“As officers attempted to take the suspect into custody, an officer-involved shooting occurred,” BPD said in the news release.
The driver was later identified as Ezra Smith, a Boise resident. Smith was taken to a local hospital for treatment before being released and booked into the Ada County Jail. Online court records show Smith pleaded not guilty to multiple felony charges earlier this month, including one count of grand theft and two counts of assault or battery upon law enforcement, among other charges. The two officers involved in the shooting were identified as Officers David Skube and Robert Denney.
Police have not released what specifically prompted officers to shoot at Smith, though pictures of the scene provided to the Idaho Statesman showed bullet holes in the front windshield of the van. Body camera footage has not been released from the shooting, and the incident remains under investigation.
Nampa police kill woman after ‘trespass’ report
On July 16, Nampa police were called to a home in the 3800 block of Teakwood Drive after receiving a report of trespassing, according to a Nampa Police Department news release. Officers arrived and talked with a woman — later identified as 51-year-old Dawn Simpson — in her car parked in the driveway of a home. Simpson refused to get out of the car, and drove away and hit a police car when an officer tried to open her door. Police followed her a few blocks before confronting her in the 500 block of Mulberry Loop.
Police say Simpson pointed a gun at police and fired, which prompted police to return fire. The gunshots hit Simpson, who later died at a Boise hospital. It is not known why Simpson was in the area. At the time of the shooting, police said Simpson had outstanding warrants for her arrest.
As of Monday, body camera footage of the shooting has yet to be released. It was also unclear how many officers fired their weapons during the incident, as a news release said “officers returned fire” during the incident. The officers involved have not been identified. The investigation into the police shooting was still ongoing.
BB gun allegedly pointed at Boise police
Around 1 a.m. on July 24, police in Boise were called to a property near 21st Street and Pleasanton Avenue after hearing a report that a man was squatting at a property under construction, according to a news release from BPD. Two officers approached the man, later identified as 31-year-old Forrest Moore. Police say Moore pulled out what looked to be a handgun and pointed it at officers, prompting two Boise officers to shoot him. Officers later learned Moore had a semi-automatic BB gun.
The officers who fired were identified by BPD as Keith Montague and Todd Sigler. One officer suffered a cut to his arm during the incident, though police did not say which officer was injured. Body camera footage has not yet been released from the shooting, though police did publish a photo of Moore’s BB gun. The shooting is still under investigation.
Nampa man allegedly pulled out gun
On Aug. 27, Nampa police were called to the area near Lincoln Avenue and Elder Street. They had received a report of a man allegedly walking around with a gun and chasing a car, according to a news release from the Nampa Police Department.
Officers found the man — later identified as 53-year-old Nampa resident Vladislav Fomin — near Sherman Avenue and Banner Street. Police say that Fomin allegedly pulled out a gun before at least one officer fired shortly after midnight. Fomin died at the scene.
Body camera footage has yet to be released. Nampa police did not release information about how many officers fired or the names of the officers involved. The investigation is ongoing.
Caldwell officer injured in shootout
Caldwell officers were sent to a home in the 1200 block of East Linden Street just before 6:30 p.m. on Sept. 23 after police were told of a reportedly suicidal man, according to a news release from the Caldwell Police Department. As police approached the home, a man inside allegedly began shooting a gun at police, and officers returned fire. Police said after the shooting that the gunshots struck a Caldwell officer in the wrist, and he was later hospitalized and medically cleared.
After the gunfire exchange, the man barricaded himself inside the home. The man later surrendered to police without incident after negotiating with police. The man — whom Caldwell police identified recently as Bradley Robert Day — was later booked into the Canyon County jail.
Day, who is still in jail custody as of Tuesday on a $5 million bond, faces eight felony charges, including multiple felony assault charges and unlawful discharge of a weapon. The officer injured during the shootout has since returned to duty, Caldwell Lt. Joey Hoadley told the Statesman last week.
Police have not released body camera footage of the incident, and the investigation into the shooting is still ongoing. The names of the officers have not been released.
Boise Towne Square mall shooter kills 2
At about 1:50 p.m. on Oct. 25, Jacob Bergquist, a 27-year-old Boise resident, opened fire inside the Boise Towne Square mall, according to police reports. He killed two people — 49-year-old Rupert resident Roberto Padilla Arguelles and 26-year-old security guard, military veteran and Caldwell resident Jo Acker — and injured four others.
Boise Police Officer Chris Dance drove to the scene with another officer in the vehicle and saw Bergquist as he tried to run from the mall, police said days after the shooting. Bergquist then started firing at the police car, prompting the passenger to get out and take cover, while Dance continued driving forward and returned fire. Bergquist’s bullets went through the car’s windshield, and one bullet went through the bill of a baseball cap Dance was wearing. Metal and glass shards cut Dance’s face during the incident.
After the gunfire, Bergquist ran behind a dumpster. At that time, “officers heard an additional shot fired,” according to a news release days after the mall shooting. Bergquist died a day later at a Boise hospital.
Police have not clarified if the additional shot was fired by police, or if the shot was fired by Bergquist. Police have also not stated publicly whether police shot Bergquist during the incident.
However, it is known that at least Dance fired his weapon at Bergquist during the incident, which means Ada County’s Critical Incident Task Force was called to investigate. Body camera footage of the shooting has not been released, and the shooting remains under investigation.
Boise police ‘perceived a threat’ downtown
On Oct. 27, Boise police were notified of a reportedly suicidal man in downtown Boise before finding him near the intersection of West Myrtle Street and South Capitol Boulevard. Police said two officers tried to approach the man — later identified as 26-year-old Boise resident Zachary Snow — when they “perceived a threat” and shot him, according to a BPD news release hours after the shooting. Snow died at a hospital the next day.
The two officers who fired were identified as Matt Jacobs and Clifton Snodderly. Body camera footage has not been released from the shooting. The shooting is still under investigation.
‘Suspicious person’ report in Caldwell
Around 12:45 a.m. on Nov. 16, Caldwell police were sent to the 19000 block of Alleghenny Way after receiving a report about a suspicious person driving around the area in a pickup truck. According to a Caldwell police news release, two officers found the truck, which was still running, and walked up to it. As they got close, a man reportedly pointed a gun at officers, prompting both officers to shoot the man. He died at the scene, and police say they found two handguns inside the truck.
In a Nov. 22 email, Canyon County Coroner Jennifer Crawford identified the deceased man as 92-year-old Caldwell resident Kernie Armstrong. Body camera footage has yet to be released from the shooting. The investigation is still ongoing. The names of the officers involved in the shooting have not been released.
This story was originally published November 24, 2021 at 12:00 AM.
