Police shooting ruled justified

LEWISTON, Idaho – Two northern Idaho sheriff’s deputies acted properly when they shot and killed a man last week, a police official said, adding that the man might have been trying to be killed.

Clearwater County Chief Deputy Chris Goetz said preliminary evidence indicates that Jeremy Shane Leech, 36, of Orofino, might have been trying to commit suicide by forcing police to shoot him.

“It was a justified shooting,” Goetz told the Lewiston Tribune. “We would have had officers shot at or killed.”

Leech was pronounced dead at Clearwater Valley Hospital shortly after the shooting late Friday.

According to police, deputies entered a house with a search warrant and met Leech, who was shot multiple times after raising a rifle toward the deputies.

“They’re trained to shoot to stop the action,” Goetz said of the deputies.

The names of the deputies have not been made public. Goetz said both have been placed on paid administrative leave while the Idaho State Police conduct an investigation.

“We want to give them some downtime,” Goetz said.

He declined to release the types of weapons fired by the deputies. He said Leech had a bolt-action hunting rifle.

Goetz said deputies were called Friday after an argument led to Leech threatening a neighbor with a rifle before leaving.

Goetz said a search warrant was obtained for Leech’s residence to find the rifle. He said five sheriff’s deputies and one Lewiston police officer knocked on the front door just before midnight. He said police entered through the front door after there was no answer.

According to police, deputies met Leech in a hallway, where they said Leech raised the rifle.

“The subject refused to put the rifle down,” Goetz wrote in a news release. “The subject then raised the rifle at the deputies. Deputies then fired at the subject hitting him several times.”

Goetz said deputies administered first aid until an ambulance arrived to take Leech to the hospital.