Man shot by Idaho State Police trooper identified

The man shot by an Idaho State Police trooper on Interstate 90 near Lookout Pass Wednesday has been identified. Alexander L. Mandarino, 26, of Whitefish, Mont., was shot and killed during a struggle over a gun, the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office reported. An autopsy was performed Thursday but the results are not yet available, a news release said. Toxicology reports will not be available for six to eight weeks. A Shoshone County sheriff’s deputy responded around noon on Wednesday to check the welfare of a motorist parked in an eastbound turnout about two miles west of the Idaho/Montana border. An ISP trooper also stopped to assist. The occupant of the car, later identified as Mandarino, was found to have a handgun. A struggle ensued and the ISP trooper fired his service weapon, striking Mandarino, the release said. Mandarino was taken to Shoshone Medical Center where he was declared dead. The Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office is the lead agency in a multi-agency Critical Investigative Team investigating the incident. The trooper and deputy are on administrative leave per their departments’ protocols. They were not injured. Anyone traveling on I-90 who witnessed the incident is asked to contact the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office at (208) 446-1300.