Boise cop fatally shoots armed teen

BOISE – Police shot a teenager Saturday after the boy allegedly punctured the uniform of an officer with a bayonet mounted on a World War II-era rifle.

Officer Andrew S. Johnson killed Mathew Jones, 16, near the teen’s home in a suburban Boise neighborhood north of the city’s downtown.

According to police, Jones’ father called officers at 5 p.m. Saturday to report his 16-year-old son was out of control and was using the 15-inch bayonet to put holes in the walls of his house.

Johnson arrived first and was talking to the father in the family’s driveway about 5 p.m. when the teen jumped out of the bushes, repeatedly charging the officer with a bayonet and rifle, Boise police said.

Johnson says he ordered Jones to drop his weapon. He told investigators that he felt “contact,” which police said was confirmed by at least one puncture hole in his uniform that went into Johnson’s body armor.

Johnson fired four shots, hitting Jones four times.

“The situation was urgent,” said Boise Police Chief Jim Tibbs. “The officer had to get involved. It’s a risk of being a police officer, you can’t always wait for backup.”

Police who searched the residence after the shooting said they found a water pipe and empty alcohol bottles, as well as a sword, a second bayonet and another rifle.

“There was evidence of drug use, including drug paraphernalia,” said police spokeswoman Lynn Hightower, adding that while the father told dispatchers he believed his son’s weapons were unloaded, police are still investigating that.

Hightower also said the boy didn’t appear to have a juvenile criminal record.

Jones, a sophomore at Boise High School, was pronounced dead shortly after he arrived at Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center. An autopsy will be performed today, police said.

The boy’s father described his son as distraught and irrational and said he seemed to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol, police said.

Police blocked off roads near the shooting for most of Saturday night. A task force made up of five law enforcement agencies is investigating the incident.

Johnson has begun a paid, three-day administrative leave – the department’s standard policy. He has the option of taking a longer leave of absence if he needs more time away from work, Tibbs said.

“Officers are trained to stop an imminent threat,” Tibbs said. “In this case, it looks like the officer responded as he was trained.”

Johnson has been with the department for 4 1/2 years. This was the first time he’d been involved in a shooting, police said.