By Nicole Blanchard, Katy Moeller And Michael Katz
The Idaho Statesman
MERIDIAN, Idaho — A Meridian Police Department officer was shot Sunday afternoon and a suspect was killed after a confrontation in a neighborhood near Maple Grove and Overland roads.
The incident occurred in the area of Mediterranean Drive and Crimson Rose Avenue. A male and a female suspect were still at large Sunday night after first fleeing in a Dodge Durango, police said. The woman was described as a Hispanic with black hair wearing a gray tank top. A description of the man, the driver, wasn’t immediately available. The pair later dumped the Durango at a Suds City car wash at Maple Grove and Overland and fled in a gold SUV, police said.
Officers were looking for a person with an outstanding felony warrant when they first encountered the suspects, who fled on foot. Officers pursued and one suspect opened fire, said Meridian Police Chief Jeff Lavey.
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According to Lavey, the officer was shot at least twice and sustained injuries to one leg in the calf area. The officer returned fire, shooting the suspect, who died at the scene. That suspect has not been identified.
The officer was taken to Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center and was undergoing surgery Sunday to remove bullets from his leg and to stop bleeding, Lavey said. Meridian Mayor Tammy De Weerd said in a Facebook post Sunday night that the officer was out of surgery in stable condition.
A gun was recovered from the dead suspect. Lavey said it was not clear whether the other suspects were armed, but he urged residents to treat them as though they were armed and dangerous. Lavey advised residents in the area of the shooting to shelter in place.
People nearby said they heard four or five pops before hearing sirens Sunday, but assumed the noises were just fireworks. Dispatchers said they received word of the shooting shortly after 1:35 p.m.
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“Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone involved, including our officers and their families. Nobody likes to go through this, unfortunately this is the second week in a row we’ve had to do it,” Lavey said.
Last weekend, Robert Lyle Barton, of Meridian, died of a single gunshot wound after a confrontation with Meridian police. Barton pulled a gun, which turned out to be a replica of a Western-style revolver, on two officers who were responding to a domestic disturbance call in the 800 block of Newport Street.
When police arrived, they found Barton in the backyard of a residence. He reportedly told officers that he was “not going back to jail” before pulling a gun from the waistband of his pants.
©2018 The Idaho Statesman (Boise, Idaho)