Boise police arrest two suspects connected to ambush, shooting at hospital
Published at | Updated at
Shaun Goodwin and Sally Krutzig, Idaho Statesman
BOISE (Idaho Statesman) — Two suspects are in custody in relation to an ambush at a hospital early Wednesday morning that left three Idaho Department of Correction officers with gunshot wounds, Boise police said Thursday.
Police in a news conference said they believe these suspects, one of whom is an escaped prisoner, are also connected to two Idaho homicides that occurred in the past 24 hours.
In the early hours of Wednesday morning, IDOC officers were preparing to transport prisoner Skylar Meade, 31, from Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center in the Boise Bench back to prison. Officers were attacked and fired on by an unknown suspect, whom police later identified as Nicholas Umphenour, 28. The two fled in a vehicle before law enforcement arrived on the scene, police said.
RELATED | Boise police identify hospital shooting suspect who helped Idaho prisoner escape
A third IDOC officer was shot by Boise police, the agency said. All three officers were treated for their injuries and in stable condition, authorities said.
Boise Police Chief Ron Winegar said in a news conference Thursday afternoon that both suspects were arrested following a short vehicle pursuit around 2 p.m. near the Twin Falls area and taken into custody separately.
“There were no shots fired or extensive use of force in this operation,” Winegar said.
Police said they are investigating the homicides of two men that took place in rural Idaho in connection with these suspects. One victim was found in Nez Perce County and the other in Clearwater County, according to police. They declined to provide further details on the homicide and said law enforcement was still on the scene actively investigating them.
IDOC Director Josh Tewalt said Umphenour and Meade were intermittently housed together in prison from December 2020 to January 2024, when Umphenour was released, and knew each other outside of prison. Both were members of the Aryan Knights, an Idaho-based prison gang with white supremacist ideology, Tewalt said.
RELATED | Suspect who fled shooting at Boise hospital is member of Aryan Knights. Who are they?