Ada County sheriff’s deputy dies after being shot during Boise traffic stop

BOISE (Idaho Statesman) — Ada County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Tobin Bolter died after he was shot during a traffic stop Saturday night — the first in-the-line-of-duty death in the office’s history.

Ada County Sheriff Matt Clifford said Sunday at a press conference that Bolter was shot by a 65-year-old driver when he approached the vehicle’s driver window.

Clifford said the suspect had a $3,000 warrant out for his arrest but Clifford does not know why he shot Bolter. Boise police said in a news release that an officer shot and killed the suspect shortly after midnight.

Clifford said the Ada County Coroner’s Office will provide the suspect’s name at a later time.

Bolter, who joined the sheriff’s department in January, previously worked with the Meridian police department.

Bolter stopped the suspect’s vehicle near the area of Overland Road and South Raymond Street shortly before 9 p.m., according to a news release from the Ada County Sheriff’s Office.

Boise police said they located “a subject believed to be the shooting suspect” outside a home on South Jackson Street, the Boise Police Department said in its news release.

Members of the Boise Police Department’s Special Operations Unit “responded and attempted to take the suspect safely and peacefully into custody, but he was uncooperative,” the release said. A Boise officer then fired his gun at the suspect, hitting him, according to police.

The suspect was given medical aid and taken by ambulance to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead, police said. No officers were injured.

A bystander who witnessed the deputy being shot Saturday night called 911 and performed CPR on the deputy, according to previous Statesman reporting.

“It goes to show what kind of community we live in where there are evil people who will do evil things but there are good people that help us and come to our aid,” Clifford said.

The deputy, who was taken to Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center in Boise, was alone during the traffic stop, a spokesperson previously told the Statesman.

Another deputy who was on his way to help the injured deputy was involved in a collision near South Meridian and East Amity roads and also transported to the Saint Alphonsus. Authorities haven’t released the condition of that deputy.

The Garden City Police Department will lead the Ada County Critical Incident Task Force’s investigation of the shooting.

Reporter Shaun Goodwin contributed.