Kuna police shot and injured a man on I-84 in Meridian. What authorities say happened
Kuna police officers shot and injured a man Thursday night on Interstate 84 after a fight and multiple pursuits that led law enforcement into Kuna and back to Meridian, the Ada County Sheriff’s Office said.
None of the officers or deputies were injured, but the man suspected of fleeing law enforcement was in critical condition after several officers shot at him, according to the Sheriff’s Office, which operates the Kuna Police Department under a contract with the city.
About 6 p.m. Thursday, Meridian police responded to a “reported fight situation” near the intersection of South Eagle and East Overland roads, according to a news release from the Sheriff’s Office. Officers found the suspect’s vehicle and pursued it for about five miles until they lost sight of it near East Columbia and South Locust Grove roads in Kuna and called off the pursuit.
But 15 minutes later, Kuna police spotted the vehicle and pursued it north on Meridian Road toward I-84.
A sheriff’s deputy tried to lay spike strips on Meridian Road near Columbia Road, but the suspect drove toward the deputy, who was standing outside of his vehicle. The deputy moved to avoid being hit and was not injured.
The man called dispatch to say he had a weapon.
As the suspect drove onto the westbound ramp of I-84, a Kuna officer used a pursuit-intervention technique, known as a PIT maneuver, to stop the vehicle in the median of the interstate. Typically, a PIT maneuver involves the officer using their vehicle to strike the suspect’s vehicle on the side and force it sideways, stopping it.
Officers issued “verbal commands” to the driver before shooting him. Three Kuna police deputies shot at the suspect, according to the Sheriff’s Office. The Sheriff’s Office confirmed he was struck by gunfire but did not say how many bullets struck him.
The Sheriff’s Office said the suspect exited his vehicle with a gun in his hand but did not say whether the man pointed a firearm at the officers.
Life-saving measures were provided to the suspect at the scene until paramedics arrived and transported him to hospital.
Ada County law enforcement agencies involved in five shootings this year
This is the fifth time this year that law enforcement agencies in Ada County have been involved in police shootings, according to a database maintained by the Idaho Statesman. By this time last year, the county had seen seven shootings.
One of the previous 2024 shootings was by a sheriff’s deputy. Another two were by Boise police, specifically the fatal shooting of the man suspected of killing 27-year-old Ada County Sheriff Deputy Tobin Bolter and the accidental shooting of a state correctional officer. The remaining shooting involved both agencies.
The Boise Police Department is leading the outside investigation of Thursday’s shooting through Ada County’s Critical Incident Task Force. It will present its findings to the Ada County Prosecutor’s Office, which will then select another prosecutor’s office to determine whether the officers were legally justified in firing their weapons.
Reporter Shaun Goodwin contributed to this story.
This story was originally published August 2, 2024 at 10:08 AM.
CORRECTION: This article was updated to reflect the correct number of police shootings that occurred in Ada County in 2024.
