Authorities release new details about man killed in confrontation with Pocatello police

POCATELLO — Authorities have released the name of the man killed by a police officer during an incident on Center Street in Pocatello Friday.

Pocatello Police Chief Roger Schei said the man was Matthew E. Planer, 52, of Pocatello. Schei gave the information during a press conference Sunday.

During the conference Schei broke down the timeline of events.

Schei said officers were sent to an apartment complex at 729 East Center Street after dispatchers received a call about a verbal disturbance between a man and a woman at an apartment.

The woman who called dispatch said she answered the door and Planer was there. He took her phone, but she was able to take it back forcibly. He was described as acting erratically and was possibly intoxicated. The woman did not see any weapons on him at the time.

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Officers arrived at about 12:45 p.m. and interviewed the woman in person. Officers learned Planer lived in the building on the third floor.

The officers went to speak with Planer. He answered his door and his behavior was described as erratic. After officers explained he would be receiving a citation for his actions, Planer was asked if he would prefer to grab the citation at the police car or wait inside his apartment. He decided to wait inside the apartment.

One officer stayed behind while the other officer went to the police cruiser to print the citation.

As Planer continued to pace around his apartment, the officer that stayed behind spoke with him. Planer continued to act in an unpredictable way, according to Schei.

Then suddenly, police say Planer turned and picked up a medium-sized chef’s knife from the sink and raised it up. The officer and Planer were only a few feet from each other and the officer raised his gun and fired one shot into his chest.

Both officers then attempted life-saving measures, but were ultimately unsuccessful, Schei said.

The name of the officer who fired the shot has not been released. It’s unknown if the officer was placed on leave.

The Eastern Idaho Critical Incident Task Force has been called in to investigate the case. The Idaho Falls Police Department is the lead agency.

Bannock County Coroner Torey Danner says an autopsy is planned but has not occurred yet.

The investigation is ongoing.

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