Man accused of shooting man at Idaho Falls gas station
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IDAHO FALLS – A 58-year-old Idaho Falls man was arrested after allegedly shooting a man outside a local gas station.
John Darnell McCune was charged with felony aggravated battery using a deadly weapon, felony aggravated assault, and felony unlawful discharge of a weapon.
On Friday at 2:59 a.m., Idaho Falls Police officers were called to the Common Cents convenience store at 1003 South Boulevard after reports of a shooting.
Officers were told the perpetrator had left the area, and it was unknown who he was or where he was at.
A man was shot in front of the store and was treated at EIRMC, according to court documents.
Officers found “multiple 9mm casings ” in the parking lot near the back alley between 10th and 11th Street.
A gas station worker interviewed by police said she showed up to work a little after 2:30 am. and brought her boyfriend to work.
The employee said her boyfriend had been coming with her “because of some issues she had with customers in the past.”
She said that shortly after getting to work, a woman came into the store trying to buy alcohol. The employee told the woman it was too late to buy alcohol, so the woman bought two packages of cigarettes and asked to use the bathroom.
While the woman was in the bathroom, a man, whom officers later identified as McCune, came into the store and was reportedly upset about what was taking the woman so long.
The employee said her boyfriend and McCune got into an argument in the parking lot. She asked him to leave and said she would call the police if he didn’t.
The woman then exited the bathroom and left with McCune, going westbound down Elm Street.
According to the employee, about 2 to 3 minutes later, McCune returned in a different car, described as a black SUV, and shot her boyfriend before pointing the gun at her and shooting but missing.
The employee said she could “see the muzzle flash from the gun as it was fired,” and “she was afraid she was going to get shot.”
She and her boyfriend then went back inside the store.
Officers interviewed the boyfriend when he was at EIRMC, and he told the same story.
He had a gunshot wound to the left leg, which caused a broken shin bone.
Officers got security footage from a nearby store and confirmed the employee’s version of events. Through investigation, they found the name of the woman who was with McCune and met with her.
The woman told police that she had gone out with an old neighbor and had some drinks before going to Common Cents to buy cigarettes.
She told the officer about the argument between the two men said she returned to the car with McCune and took him home.
She said McCune went inside the home but came right back out and went to his car. The woman reportedly tried to stop him, but he sped away.
The woman says she followed him to Common Cents, but he was not there when she arrived. That’s when the employee told her the man she was with had shot her boyfriend and tried to shoot her.
Police were then able to determine the identity of McCune, and secure a way to contact him.
A warrant was issued for McCune’s arrest, and he was booked into the Bonneville County Jail on Tuesday with a bond of $300,000.
He is expected to appear for an initial appearance on Tuesday, then a preliminary hearing on Aug. 29.
If convicted, McCune could face up to 35 years in prison.
Though McCune has been charged with these crimes, it does not necessarily mean he committed them. Everyone is presumed innocent until they are proven guilty.