Meridian police officer recovering after surgery, second suspect turns himself in
BOISE – A Meridian police officer who was wounded in a shootout Sunday, is in good condition, according to the Meridian Police Department.
The shooting happened about 1:30 p.m. Sunday in the area of Maple Grove and Overland roads when a Meridian police officer tried to arrest one man on a warrant, according to Meridian Police Chief Jeff Lavey.
During the shootout, the officer returned fire and killed a man. The man shot and killed was in a black Dodge Durango with two other people. One of two other suspects turned himself in on an unrelated warrant, the Meridian Police Department announced in a press release. Police are not releasing his name at this time.
The officer pulled the car over in a cul-de-sac, and the man who was killed got out of the car and shot the officer twice in the calf, Lavey said.
The officer fired back and killed the man. Police later recovered the gun the man used.
Police are now looking for one more suspect, whom Lavey described as a Hispanic woman. Police do not believe there is a danger to the public at this time.
The officer was taken to Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center, Lavey said, and is in good condition following surgery Sunday afternoon, according to the press release.
Lavey confirmed the Ada County Critical Incident Task Force is investigating the shooting.
Officers from a collection of agencies — including Idaho State Police and the Ada County Sheriff’s Office, as well as the Meridian and Boise police departments — then began searching for the two remaining people. They initially searched an area about five miles wide, but by the time Lavey gave the press conference at nearby Maple Grove Elementary School, the search area had narrowed to about two miles, he said. It included neighborhoods west of Maple Grove Road between Overland and Victory roads. Police are using SWAT teams, K-9 crews and drones, Lavey said, although he added police believe the people fled. They should be considered armed and dangerous, he said.
The incident drew a massive police presence, Lavey said.
“What we heard over there was ‘officer down, shots fired,’” Lavey said.
The incident also drew a response from residents in the quiet neighborhood, where the lawns are well-kept and the streets are lined with shade trees. They spoke to each other in excited tones and swapped rumors. One man even climbed up onto playground equipment in his back yard to try to get a better view of the police activity. Emergency vehicles still tore down Maple Grove Road with lights and sirens blaring by about 2:30 p.m., and those sirens were still audible as Lavey prepared to leave the press conference.
As strong as the police response was, Lavey said, it is still an unhappy day for law enforcement.
“No one likes to go through this,” he said.