Gunman shoots 3 at Idaho sheriff’s office—later killed by police

Officers from multiple agencies responded to reports of gunfire at around 2:40 pm. By about 5 pm, the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office said the threat had been “neutralized.”

At a press conference, Shoshone County Sheriff William Eddy said three people were shot, including two civilians and one law enforcement officer. The civilians were two women who were sitting in a truck on the street outside the sheriff’s office when the suspect fired at the vehicle. Both women were struck in the leg. An officer was shot in the ear after entering the building while the suspect was inside. The injuries were described as minor.

Authorities said the suspect was killed by law enforcement officers in the lobby of the sheriff’s office following a standoff. "This has...been a rough month," said Sheriff Eddy, according to KREM. "It seems like one tragedy after another."

Initial reports indicated the suspect may have been able to gain access to the jail, which heightened the law enforcement response. Kootenai County Sheriff Robert Norris said that possibility “ramped up” the response from nearby agencies.

“This is a fairly significant event when you have a person that goes into a lobby of a sheriff’s office and starts a shootout,” he said at the press conference.

Eddy said the suspect appeared to have remained in the lobby area and that people inside the jail were not harmed. Wallace resident Julie Swindell-Ward said she was inside a grocery store across the street when she first heard about the situation. She told KXLY that she heard someone mention an armed individual at the sheriff’s office before stepping outside.

“I walked out to the parking lot, I see sheriff’s cars, lights coming down,” she said. “And then as I’m approaching my car, I heard gunshots.” She added that the shooting was especially surprising given the fact that it is such a small town.

The investigation into the shooting is being handled by the Idaho State Police.