IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (AP) - A police officer in Idaho killed a man he or she mistook for a suspect accused of committing felony battery on an officer and fleeing a traffic stop, Idaho Falls Police Chief Bryce Johnson said.
The name of the officer involved and the name of the man killed were not released as of Monday, the Post Register reported.
The family of the deceased had asked that his name not be released. The officer has been placed on paid administrative leave. The Eastern Idaho Critical Incident Task Force and the Idaho State Police will investigate the incident.
Officers were tracking the suspect to a house, where they found a man in a black shirt with a gun, Johnson said. The officers instructed the man to drop his weapon, Johnson said.
The police chief says it is currently unclear what led to the shooting, but the man in the black shirt was shot and killed soon after officers entered the home. Police then learned that he was not the suspect and was a resident at the home.
The suspect was later found hiding in a shed on a nearby property and was arrested. Johnson did not say whether the suspect was armed.
Body camera footage captured the incident, Johnson said.
“There are not words to express how heavy our hearts are today,” Johnson said. “This situation is devastatingly tragic for the family, for the officer, and those that love and care about them. We all feel the weight of what has occurred today. Our sincere sympathies are with the family and friends of those involved, most especially the family of the deceased.”
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