Police believed woman a ‘danger’

BOISE – A high-speed pursuit of a Boise woman through three southwest Idaho counties that ended when officers shot and killed her was justified because of the danger to public safety, Ada County Sheriff Gary Raney said.

Raney said the 40-minute pursuit of Sarah Marie Stanfield, which ended Friday night on Interstate 84 near the Oregon border, met all department policy standards for an extended and extensive police chase.

“We knew that she was facing a serious probation violation that would have sent her back to prison … until 2012,” Raney said. “Along with that, we had been told by no less than five different people who were seriously concerned she might use that gun against somebody. We felt she was a significant danger.”

The chase ended when police shot Stanfield, a mother of three, eight times after police and witnesses said she pulled a gun on officers and fired at least one shot.

The shooting came moments after Stanfield’s car was disabled on the interstate in Payette County at about 11:20 p.m. Friday. She was taken by air ambulance to a Boise hospital, where she died early Saturday.

After stopping her vehicle, Stanfield got out of the car and was crossing the freeway on foot with a gun, tried to stop traffic and at one point tried to get into the cab of a semitruck stopped on the side of the road, Raney said.

Sheriff’s Sgt. Ron Santucci and Deputy Ian Hale tried to stop Stanfield with stun guns before the exchange of gunfire, but the probes could not make a connection through Stanfield’s heavy coat, according to reports.

Stanfield then pointed her gun at Santucci, who ducked. Witnesses reported that the woman fired at least one round before Santucci and Payette County sheriff’s Deputy Henry Filliponi returned fire.

Stanfield was hit by eight bullets. Two gunshot wounds to her chest killed her, according to Ada County coroner’s reports.

The Ada County Critical Incident Task Force is investigating the shooting.

Pursuit policies for Treasure Valley law enforcement agencies require officers to take into account traffic, pedestrians, weather and location. They must continually weigh such factors as the seriousness of the crime committed and the threat to community safety.

Meridian police and Ada County sheriff’s deputies had been looking to arrest Stanfield since late September for a probation violation on a felony drug charge and for harboring a felon, Kirkley A. Evans, accused of firing at Meridian officers during a traffic stop Sept. 27.

Evans was arrested Sept. 30 after a countywide search, but officers didn’t find Stanfield until Friday night, when she was pulled over by officers. Stanfield then sped away and the chase began.

Raney said Santucci was affected by the shooting because he was involved in another fatal confrontation a year ago and was worried about what people would think. Santucci, a member of the sheriff’s SWAT team, shot 35-year-old Jonathan DiPaola in front of his ex-wife’s home in Meridian last October after DiPaola approached officers with a gun.

Santucci was cleared in the DiPaola shooting. Raney said initial reports on Friday’s incident show Santucci correctly followed the policy on use of deadly force.

“I told him sometimes lightning does strike twice,” Raney said. “They did what they thought was best.”