Coroner identifies man shot in head by police in downtown Boise. He died in hospital

The suspect who was shot by police in downtown Boise early Saturday morning died in the hospital, according to an update Monday from the Boise Police Department.

The Ada County Coroner’s Office identified the man as Payton Wasson, 22, of Nampa, and said the cause of death was a “gunshot wound to the head.”

The shooting took place after Boise police officers approached a “suspicious vehicle” as part of an investigation, according to a news release Saturday morning. The vehicle was near 5th and Main streets, just adjacent to a stretch of the city’s popular late-night bars.

After officers “attempted to make contact” with the vehicle occupants, one person “fled on foot toward Idaho Street holding a firearm,” according to the initial release.

“Officers chased the suspect and gave commands for the suspect to stop, which were disregarded,” according to the release. “One BPD officer fired his duty weapon. ... A firearm was recovered next to the suspect.”

Police administered medical care after the shooting, according to the release Saturday morning, and Ada County paramedics took the suspect to Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center.

He died in the hospital at 12:41 p.m. on Sunday, according to the coroner’s office.

Police contacted three people in connection with the incident, police spokesperson Haley Williams told the Idaho Statesman in an email. One person was arrested on a narcotics-related charge, a second was released at the scene and the third was the shooting victim, she said.

No officers were injured in the incident, according to police. The officer who fired his weapon was placed on administrative leave, per standard practice.

The Boise Police Department declined to answer questions from the Statesman seeking additional information, including the name of the officer who shot Wasson.

“All of the information provided in the news releases from BPD and the coroner is what has been confirmed for public release. Any additional clarification or further details are part of the CITF ongoing investigation,” Williams said in an email.

The Ada County Sheriff’s Office is the lead agency on the Critical Incident Task Force investigation into the shooting.