Fatal Shot By Officer Draws 150 To Protest Critics Say Cop Didn’t Need To Kill Driver Of Fleeing Car

More than 150 people staged a candlelight vigil downtown near the spot where James “Justin” Atkinson was shot and killed by a police officer Sunday night.

“This is death. Remember that the next time you go out,” Ray Ransom, Atkinson’s friend, told the crowd Monday night. “This is well over the line.”

The Boise Police Department said the officer - whose name has not been disclosed - grabbed the car Atkinson was driving when the 21-year-old man refused to stop for a traffic violation.

Police said the officer fired his gun because he feared Atkinson was trying to knock him off by swerving at no-parking signs. But Atkinson’s friends contend the officer could have let go any time, and that Atkinson swerved because the officer was hanging onto the wheel.

Police Lt. Dan Miller said the department was still deciding whether to charge Rod Page, the only passenger in the car.

The candlelight vigil was the first in a series of events Atkinson’s friends and family are planning to protest police handling of the case.

“The goal right now is to make people aware of what happened and what was done wrong,” Don Tibbets, Atkinson’s ex-roommate, said.

Friends also plan to post signs around the city and pass out bumper stickers, Atkinson’s friend, Steve Hahn, said.

The car Atkinson was driving was borrowed from Lisa Flick. After the accident, officers went to Flick’s home and questioned her for 45 minutes about how Atkinson got the car, she said.

It was not until the end of the interview that the officer told her Atkinson died, Flick said. There was no mention of the shooting.

“I feel cheated,” she said. “It made a difference that somebody put a gun to his head and shot him. I understand it was under investigation and everything, but I think I had the right to know.”