Footage released of officer-involved shooting that left man dead; officers cleared of criminal charges
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EDITOR’S NOTE: This story includes graphic details about suicide and an officer-involved shooting. Reader discretion is advised. EastIdahoNews.com does not typically report on suicides. An exception has been made in this case due to the public nature of the incident.
IDAHO FALLS – The Idaho Falls Police Department released more information about an officer-involved shooting, including footage showing a suspect shooting at multiple officers before killing himself.
On Wednesday, police held a media conference to answer questions about the shooting and showed a 20-minute police-edited video from body camera footage, police car footage, and nearby business security footage of the interactions between an Idaho State Police trooper, IFPD officers and the suspect.
Idaho Falls Police say the edited video version is intended to not show graphic footage. Although the video does show the man dying by suicide, it doesn’t include closeups of the dead body.
The department also plans to release an unedited version of the interactions on Wednesday evening, reportedly showing the incident in its entirety.
EastIdahoNews.com has put together a less graphic section of the footage, which you can watch in the player above.
To see the full version provided by police, go to the Idaho Falls Police Department website or on YouTube. Please note that the video is extremely graphic and contains footage of a suicide.
The suspect was identified as Marcos Cortez, 34, of eastern Idaho.
The officers involved in the incident were identified as IFPD Officer Mitch Bierma and Sgt. Kevin Goms. According to IFPD, they are both experienced officers with many years on the force.
Idaho Falls Police Chief Bryce Johnson confirmed on Wednesday that Bierma and Goms were still on paid administrative leave.
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Bonneville County Prosecutor Randy Neal said in a news release on Wednesday that his office found no evidence to charge the officers involved in the incident.
“I find no evidence to suggest that either officer committed a criminal offense in relation to the investigation described above, and further find their actions were JUSTIFIED as an act of self-defense,” says Neal in the release. “I recognize how hard it must have been for Officer Bierma to command his K-9 partner Argo to approach an armed suspect, given the obvious threat Mr. Cortez presented to Argo. I believe the entire community is relieved that no harm came to any of the officers or to K-9 Argo.”
Timeline of events
According to a news release provided by IFPD spokeswoman Jessica Clements, the shooting incident began at 1:09 a.m. on Dec. 4, when an unnamed ISP trooper initiated a traffic stop on a 2002 Honda sedan near the Candlewood Suites Hotel at 665 Pancheri Drive.
The Honda stopped in the parking lot of the hotel, and the ISP trooper requested assistance from Bierma and his K9.
It is unclear why the trooper pulled the car over, or why Idaho Falls Police were called for backup.
As Bierma arrived, the passenger of the Honda fired two shots from inside the car at the ISP trooper, got out of the car and shot two more rounds toward Bierma, striking the police car.
The trooper shot back, and the passenger, later identified as Cortez, ran.
According to the Public Information Officer with the Idaho State Police Aaron Snell, the driver was detained at the scene, but released pending further investigation.
Bierma and the K9 chased Cortez and eventually paused at the corner of the hotel, firing three times toward the suspect.
RELATED | Police to release footage from officer-involved shooting that left man dead
Bierma and the K9 continued chasing Cortez behind the neighboring business, Nugget CBD, where he lost sight of Cortez.
More IFPD officers responded to the scene, and Cortez was found in the Win Auto parking lot on 1710 South Yellowstone Highway.
Officers then saw that Cortez was holding a gun to his own head while walking through the parking lot.
Cortez stopped in the northeast corner, and officers were standing in the northwest and southeast corners of the parking lot.
According to the release, “At that time, officers were located at the northwest and southeast corners of the lot inline with the suspect and creating an L shape with their positions.”
Idaho Falls officers yelled to Cortez to drop the gun multiple times, and Beirma sent his K9 toward Cortez as a “less lethal option,” according to the release.
In the video, Cortez is seen turning around as the K9 runs toward him. He shoots himself in the head and falls to the ground.
After the suspect shot himself, Goms, on the northwest corner of the parking lot shot his gun, striking Cortez in the leg.
According to the release, “The officer heard the suspect’s shot and, from his vantage point, thought the suspect was shooting at officers in the southeast corner of the lot.”
The video shows the K9 apprehending the suspect, as the release says the K9 is “trained to do,” before Bierma recalls him back.
Officers then moved in toward Cortez, and kicked the gun from within his reach. Cortez was searched for any other weapons, and officers attempted life-saving measures.
Idaho Falls Fire Department and emergency responders arrived and pronounced Cortez deceased.
After the incident, officers secured the scene and turned it over to the Eastern Idaho Critical Incident Taskforce, a “team of investigators and professional staff from local law enforcement agencies who investigate police use of force and other critical incidents,” according to the release.
Johnson, the police chief, spoke to the media Wednesday, commending the bravery of the officers and K9 who responded to the incident.
“I have people that go out in harm’s way everyday, and watching Officer Mitch Bierma and K9 Argo come to help a fellow officer as gunfire is happening,” says Johnson. “It’s just amazing the courage those folks show under fire.”