East Idaho sees unprecedented gun violence, with nearly a dozen shootings in 2 weeks
Nearly a dozen shootings have occurred in a two-week span in East Idaho, an unprecedented surge, according to news reports.
In a typical year, East Idaho has two or three fatal shootings, the Post Register reported. There have been four since Feb. 8.
“It’s hard to remember the last 10 days or so; it’s been a whirlwind,” Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Bryan Lovell told the Idaho State Journal. “It’s very unusual to have all of these events happen in a nine-day span. It’s definitely not something I’ve seen before in this geographic region in my 27 years in law enforcement.”
On Monday, Feb. 8, an Idaho Falls man was killed after he was mistakenly shot by a police officer later identified as Elias Cerdas, East Idaho News reported. The man, Joseph “Joe” Johnson, was in his backyard when police were looking for a suspect who fled a traffic stop, according to East Idaho News. Johnson was armed, police said, but was not the suspect.
Five days later, on Feb. 13, a man in Pocatello was killed during a shootout with U.S. marshals, East Idaho News reported.
A day later, a 51-year-old man from Shelley was shot and killed by a SWAT team official during a standoff, according to the Bingham County Sheriff’s Office.
And then on Feb. 15, a 50-year-old Rexburg resident was shot and killed at an apartment complex, East Idaho News reported.
Six of the 11 shootings have involved law enforcement officers, according to reports. Just last Thursday, a 26-year-old Fort Hall man was shot by police, the Bingham County Sheriff’s Office reported. The man allegedly rammed his car into county vehicles before he was shot, sheriff’s officials said.
His injuries were not life threatening, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
There have been several other shootings as well, the Idaho State Journal reported, without any law enforcement.
A Salmon woman was arrested Monday after she allegedly shot a man on Feb. 7, East Idaho News reported. Last week, Blackfoot police responded to a report of multiple gunshots and found a 29-year-old man had been shot, according to the news outlet. On the same day, a man in Bonneville County was shot and later placed on life support after “an altercation,” the Idaho State Journal reported.
A drive-by shooting on Feb. 7 near Clydesdale Bar and Lounge in Pocatello left several cars with bullet holes, according to the Journal. Police in Chubbuck and Pocatello are also investigating a shooting that occurred inside a car Monday, the newspaper said.
There was also a Feb. 11 incident in Chubbuck, where a man accused of firing a gun into the wall above his ex-wife’s head also allegedly fired at police, according to the Idaho State Journal.
Many of the cases are still being investigated by police or by the Eastern Idaho Critical Incident Task Force, a group of law enforcement officials from multiple agencies. The task force takes over investigations in officer-involved shootings or other incidents to avoid conflicts of interest within agencies.
This story was originally published February 22, 2021 at 3:15 PM.