BOISE, Idaho– An Idaho sheriff’s deputy died after being shot by a driver during a traffic stop, and a man believed to be the shooting suspect was later fatally shot by police, authorities said Sunday.
Officer Tobin Bolter, 27, was shot as he approached the driver’s window in Boise around 9 p.m. Saturday, and the suspect took off, Ada County Sheriff Matt Clifford said Sunday. Bolter was the first sheriff’s deputy in the county to be killed in the line of duty, Clifford said.
Boise police found the suspect’s vehicle unoccupied about a half hour after the shooting and encountered a man believed to be the suspect outside a home, Boise Police Chief Ron Winegar said.
The police tactical unit responded and spent some time trying to get the man to surrender, Winegar said. Some residents were told to evacuate, but others in the area were warned to stay indoors, he said.
Shortly after midnight, the man fired at officers, and an officer returned fire, shooting him, Winegar said. Officers rendered aid to him, but he was pronounced dead after being taken to a hospital, he said.
The man’s name has not been released, but authorities said he was 65 years old and was arrested on a misdemeanor charge.
A person who saw the shooting during the traffic stop called 911 and performed CPR on the deputy before an ambulance arrived, Clifford said. Another deputy on the way to the crash scene was involved in a crash with another vehicle, and both the deputy and the other driver were taken to the hospital, Clifford said. The deputy was in stable condition Sunday, but the condition of the other person has not yet been released.
At an emotional news conference shortly after Bolter died at the hospital, Clifford thanked the paramedics and the citizen who stopped to help the deputy.
“I think this shows what kind of community we live in, where there are bad people who will do bad things, but there are good people who will help us and come to our aid,” he said.
Bolter had worked in law enforcement for seven years but had only started working for the sheriff’s office in January, Clifford said. Previously, he worked for the Meridian Police Department and the Pleasant Hill Police Department in California.
Idaho Governor Brad Little ordered the flags of the United States and Idaho to be lowered to half-staff in Bolter’s honor.
“Our hearts break for Deputy Tobin Bolter’s family, loved ones and law enforcement colleagues,” Little said in a statement. “Day in and day out, our brave men and women in blue put themselves in harm’s way to protect us and keep our communities safe. Idaho mourns this devastating loss.”