Police shooting at Boise hospital involves prisoner. Suspects are now in custody

This story was updated 4:30 p.m. March 21 after a news conference Thursday, when police announced both suspects were in custody. Find the latest story here.

An attack on Idaho Department of Correction staffers left three IDOC officers with gunshot injuries at Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center in the Boise Bench early Wednesday morning, with the two suspects of the attack now in custody, according to Boise police.

IDOC officers were preparing to transport prisoner Skylar Meade, 31, from the hospital back to prison at 2:15 a.m. when another suspect attacked and fired at the officers in the ambulance bay, shooting two of them, the Boise Police Department said in a news release. Police later identified the second suspect as Nicholas Umphenour, 28. Both officers were treated for their injuries and in stable condition, police said.

When Boise police “responded to the hospital to reports of an active shooter,” one Boise officer fired his gun at an “armed individual near the entrance,” who turned out to be one of the IDOC officers, police said. By the time police arrived, the two suspects had already fled, according to police.

The IDOC officer shot by police “was not seriously injured and is receiving treatment for his injuries,” police said. “We believe that this was a coordinated attack and ambush on the Department of Correction officers and certainly a planned endeavor to free (Meade) from custody,” Boise Police Chief Winegar said at a news conference Wednesday.

Police at a news conference said the suspects were found in the Twin Falls area Thursday afternoon after a short vehicle pursuit.

Boise hospital briefly placed on lockdown

IDOC employees took Meade to the hospital at 9:35 p.m. Tuesday for treatment for self-inflicted injuries, IDOC Director Josh Tewalt said at the conference. The director declined to specify the type of injuries, but police photos showed Meade with what appeared to be a bloody gash on his face.

Law enforcement continued to search for the suspects, who were “armed and dangerous” and traveling in a gray 2020 Honda Civic with license plate number 2TDF43U, police said. Idaho State Police on Wednesday morning issued a Blue Alert, which is used for violent criminals who have killed or seriously injured an officer in the line of duty, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

“There have been dozens of leads coming in all night and all day,” Winegar said. “There are teams of detectives following up on these.”

Boise Police Department Chief Ron Winegar, left, and Idaho Department of Correction Director Josh Tewalt, right, speak to the media about an early Wednesday morning shooting that involved an IDOC prisoner at Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center.
Boise Police Department Chief Ron Winegar, left, and Idaho Department of Correction Director Josh Tewalt, right, speak to the media about an early Wednesday morning shooting that involved an IDOC prisoner at Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center.

The hospital was placed on temporary lockdown while police secured the scene but has since resumed normal operations, according to police. Saint Alphonsus said it has increased security on campus and that all entrances to the hospital “will be closed and monitored” until further notice.

“All patients and staff are safe,” Saint Alphonsus said in its news release. “The medical center campus is safe and secure.”

‘These folks are dangerous,’ police chief says

Meade has been found guilty of several crimes in Twin Falls County. Court records showed he has been in prison since 2016 and was set for release in 2036. Police said he has been serving time for aggravated battery on a law enforcement officer with a firearm enhancement. He also has prior convictions for felony possession of a controlled substance, grand theft and introduction of contraband into a correctional facility, according to police.

Idaho State Police described Meade as a 5-foot-6 white man with brown hair and hazel eyes, with tattoos of a “D” on his right arm, a clown or skull face across his chest, and “product of my environment” written across his collarbone. Updated photos provided by Boise police showed Meade also has facial tattoos on his forehead and cheeks.

Umphenour is roughly 5 feet 11 inches tall, weighs 160 pounds and has brown hair and hazel eyes, Boise police said. He was incarcerated in 2016 on a felony burglary charge and again in 2019 after he pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of a weapon by a convicted felon and grand theft by receiving, possession or disposing of stolen property, online court records showed. It’s unclear when he was released from prison.

Police asked anyone with information to call Ada County Dispatch at 208-377-6790.

“I want to make sure that the public knows these folks are dangerous,” Winegar said. “We don’t believe they are necessarily a danger to the public per se unless they are confronted or somebody stands in their way of being captured again. So we just encourage folks to call 911 and let us approach them with the special tools and tactics and training that we have available.”

Both suspects are confirmed gang members of the Aryan Knights, police said. Meade has two tattoos relating to the group, including “AK” on his stomach, as well as the numbers “1” and “11” on each side of his face, which represent A, the first letter of the alphabet, and K, the 11th, Winegar said. The Aryan Knights is a prison-based white supremacy gang that operates primarily in Idaho, according to the Anti-Defamation League.

Boise police and the Department of Correction did not respond to the Idaho Statesman’s questions. Saint Alphonsus declined to provide additional information.

Police are searching for prisoner Skylar Meade, who fled in a vehicle after a shooting at Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center in Boise.
Police are searching for prisoner Skylar Meade, who fled in a vehicle after a shooting at Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center in Boise.
Police said Skylar Meade may be traveling in a gray four-door sedan, possibly a Honda Civic with Idaho license plates.
Police said Skylar Meade may be traveling in a gray four-door sedan, possibly a Honda Civic with Idaho license plates.

Alex Brizee contributed to this report.

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