Man killed by Meridian police Saturday had replica revolver, not handgun
MERIDIAN, Idaho – A man shot and killed by Meridian Police Saturday had pulled a non-firing replica revolver from his waistband, not a handgun, as officers originally believed, the Meridian Police Department said Tuesday.
An officer fatally shot Robert Lyle Barton, 48, of Boise when responding to a domestic disturbance call.
A Meridian Police statement attributed to Chief Jeff Lavey Tuesday said: “This is truly a tragic situation, one no officer wants to be put in. We may never know why Barton chose to do what he did.
“Our thoughts and prayers go out to the victim in this case, the officers involved and their families, as well as the family of Mr. Barton. This is a difficult time for all involved.”
Both officers involved in the shooting were placed on three days’ paid administrative leave, according to Deputy Chief Tracy Basterrechea. The officers have each worked in law enforcement for about 20 years, including 11 years each at the Meridian Police Department.
The officer who fired his gun has worked in the Meridian Police Department for over 11 years and as a detention deputy for eight years before that, according to the department. The second officer involved is also an 11-year veteran with Meridian Police with a total of 21 years as a police officer.
The Critical Incident Task Force, composed of local law enforcement agencies, is investigating the incident, with the Boise Police Department taking the lead.
The Meridian Police Department declined further comment on the officers and the incident’s details until the investigation is over.
The department said officers responded to a call in the 800 block of Newport Street Saturday, where they saw blood outside a home and found an unidentified victim who said someone was inside “tearing up the house and grabbing knives.”
Police say that when they made contact with Barton, he made statements to the effect of “I am not going back to jail” and pulled an apparent handgun from his waistband, later determined to be the Western-style replica revolver. One officer fired a Taser and another fired his weapon, striking Barton in the chest shortly after 12 p.m., the release states.
Barton was pronounced dead an hour later at a Boise hospital. The Ada County coroner confirmed his cause of death as a single gunshot wound to his chest.
The caller who had alerted police to Barton had called from outside the house, according to police.
Barton had been released from the Ada County Jail on Thursday, two days before the shooting, for ongoing litigation related to his guilty plea for drug possession in February. He was scheduled to appear in court June 26.
Barton was sentenced to serve five years in prison on May 15, but was offered an option to serve five years probation through Ada County Veteran’s Court, a part of Idaho’s problem-solving courts. Barton’s probation officer was given the ability to book him at any time without court approval.
Barton was booked at the jail on June 13, a jail clerk confirmed, though officials said it was not a result of an arrest.
Barton had previously been convicted of misdemeanor domestic violence violation of a probation order in August 2005, months after a court dismissed similar charges. In April 2017, he was found guilty of unlawful entry and served 35 days in jail and a year probation.
He also had a preliminary hearing in Twin Falls Magistrate Court on June 22 on felony burglary and misdemeanor petit theft charges from September 2017, though an update on the hearing was not available Tuesday.