Coeur d'Alene police officer killed in the line of duty
Sgt. Greg Moore, a Coeur d’Alene police officer, died at 5:50 p.m. at the hospital with his family at his side. Sgt. Moore, a 16-year veteran of the Coeur d’Alene Police Department, spent most of the day in critical condition after he was shot in the head by a suspect who then stole the officer’s patrol car and fled the scene.
Section:Picture story
This undated photo provided by the Coeur d’Alene Police Department shows Coeur d’Alene, police officer Greg Moore, who was critically wounded in the line of duty in the early morning of Tuesday, May 5, 2015. Sgt. Moore died at 5:50 p.m. at the hospital with his family at his side.
Coeur d’Alene Police Department via Associated Press
Sgt. Greg Moore, a 16-year veteran of the Coeur d’Alene Police Department, died at 5:50 p.m. at the hospital with his family at his side. He was shot about 1:35 a.m. in the 2800 block of Wilbur Avenue in northwest Coeur d’Alene. Moore was on a routine, random patrol in the Sunshine Meadows neighborhood when he made contact with a suspicious individual, police said. Moore “ran his name through our dispatch center, and then there was no further contact from him,” said Lt. Stu Miller of the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office.
Scott Maben The Spokesman-Review
Police markings on the street at the 2800 block of West Wilbur in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho show the area where Police Sgt. Greg Moore was shot once around 1:30 a.m. after checking on a suspicious individual.
Kathy Plonka The Spokesman-Review
After shooting the officer and leaving him in the dark street, the suspect stole Moore’s patrol car and fled. A nearby resident who heard the gunshot and saw Moore on the ground called 911. Police say the suspect, Jonathan Daniel Renfro, 26, of Rathdrum sped through Post Falls, where a Post Falls police officer spotted the stolen car westbound on Seltice Way at North McGuire Road, Miller said. The officer pursued the speeding car, lost site of it briefly, then found the car abandoned on West Pointe Parkway and Beck Road, near a Sysco Spokane Inc. food distribution center.
Scott Maben The Spokesman-Review
Police secure the area where a shooting suspect abandoned a stolen police cruiser in Post Falls, Idaho on Tuesday, May 5, 2015.
Kathy Plonka The Spokesman-Review
Police from Idaho and Washington agencies set up a perimeter and called in a K-9 unit, which tracked the suspect to a nearby Walmart store. The suspect was found hiding under a semi-truck trailer parked on the west side of the Walmart, Miller said. “He was not very compliant,” he said. “The dog subsequently contacted the individual and he was arrested without further incident.”
Scott Maben The Spokesman-Review
A K-9 unit searches the area where a shooting suspect abandoned a stolen police cruiser in Post Falls, Idaho on Tuesday, May 5, 2015.
Kathy Plonka The Spokesman-Review
“He’s still very critical, still fighting for his life,” police Sgt. Christie Wood said at a press conference in front of the police station at 11 a.m. while she and Stu Miller of the Kootenai County Sherriff’s office answered questions.
Kathy Plonka The Spokesman-Review
Lt. Stu Miller of the Kootenai County Sheriff’s department, left, and Sgt. Christy Wood of the Coeur d’Alene Police Department walk away after answering questions following a police involved shooting on Tuesday, May 5, 2015.
Kathy Plonka The Spokesman-Review
Renfro has an Idaho criminal history spanning more than a decade. In 2008 he stole a red Subaru with a friend. They were arrested in Reno, Nevada and extradited to Moscow, Idaho. While in jail he hatched a plan to escape. After a court hearing on the theft case he kicked a jailer in the leg. The attack in the hallway outside the Latah County Courthouse courtroom didn’t work as the jailer took Renfro to the floor and handcuffed him while his friend made a brief run for freedom. Renfro later said he tried to escape because he was angry he was “going to miss Christmas.” He also said he was trained in mixed martial arts and cage fighting. He was sent to prison for one to five years.
Scott Maben The Spokesman-Review
Court appointed public defender Maily Walsh sits next to Jonathan Renfro, who is suspected of shooting Coeur d’Alene police Sgt. Greg Moore early this morning made his first appearance in courtroom #12 at the Kootenai County Jail on Tuesday, May 5, 2015.
Kathy Plonka The Spokesman-Review
The shooting happened directly in front of the home of Chris Weber, who lives at the corner of Wilbur Avenue and Timberlake Loop. Weber said he was amazed that he slept through the incident. “An officer rang our bell at 2 a.m. and told us to stay inside,” said Weber, adding that police were looking through everyone’s yards with flashlights.
Scott Maben The Spokesman_Review
Speaking of the suspect, he said, “We’re a little freaked out. This guy was walking through our neighborhood last night.” Ordinarily, Weber said, the neighborhood is “a pretty calm, quiet place.”
Kathy Plonka The Spokesman-Review
Flowers were placed in the 2800 block of West Wilbur Avenue in Coeur d’Alene on Tuesday, May 5, 2015 after the early morning shooting.
Kathy Plonka The Spokesman-Review
“We appreciate all of the kindness our community has shown to our officers, and the thoughtful prayers said for Sergeant Moore,” the police department said in tonight’s statement. “We wish to express our sincerest gratitude to the dedicated, professional, emergency first responders, and medical team and staff at Kootenai Health that cared for Greg in an effort to save him.” Mayor Widmyer added, “Our hearts go out to his family, our police department and all that knew him. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers.”
Folks held The Thin Blue Line banner during the candlelight vigil on Tuesday, May 5, 2015 for Sgt. Greg Moore. The Thin Blue Line is a symbol used by law enforcement to commemorate fallen officers and to symbolize the relationship of the police in the community as the protectors of the citizenry from the criminal element.
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“Mrs. Moore is my teacher,” said Maya Averill, 9, during the candlelight vigil for Sgt. Greg Moore a 16-year veteran of the Coeur d’Alene Police Department. Moore died at 5:50 Tuesday evening. The officers wife, Lindy Moore is a 3rd grade teacher at Ramsey Elementary in Coeur d’Alene.
Kathy Plonka The Spokesman-Review
How to Help: The Kootenai County Police & Fire Memorial Foundation has established a fund to benefit Coeur d’Alene Police Sgt. Greg Moore and his wife Lindy Moore, who’s a teacher at Ramsey Elementary School in Coeur d’Alene. They have a 1-year-old daughter, and Greg Moore has an older son. Contributions can be made at Umpqua Bank, 1106 Sherman Ave. in Coeur d’Alene.
Flowers and notes continued to multiply on Wednesday, May 6, 2015 at the site where Coeur d’Alene Police Sgt. Greg Moore was shot on Tuesday morning.
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