Man shot by at least one Kootenai county deputy now hospitalized

At least one Kootenai County deputy fired at a man who threatened to harm people in Post Falls Thursday, according to a Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office news release.

Three Kootenai County Sheriff’s deputies and a Post Falls police officer responded to a mental health call from a man in the area of Elm Road and Riverbend Avenue in the Corbin Park area around 10 p.m. Thursday, the release said.

“A deputy dies or I die you better get here soon or there will be lots of deaths,” the caller said on the phone, according to the news release.

When deputies arrived, they encountered a man and at least one officer fired at him. The man was transported to Kootenai Health in Coeur d’Alene, where he was stable as of Friday afternoon, though the release didn’t specify any more on his condition. Deputies were not injured, the release said.

“Any mental health crisis is difficult for all involved,” Sheriff Bob Norris said in the release. “While our deputies are trained in de-escalation techniques, with persons in extreme mental distress, sometimes those techniques don’t have the impact we would hope.”

Norris said he is praying for the man’s recovery and for the officers involved.

The North Idaho Critical Incident Task Force, which includes agencies within Benewah, Bonner, Boundary, Shoshone and Kootenai counties, will conduct the investigation, with the Idaho State Police leading, the release said.

A Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office spokesman did not immediately respond to further questions.