Sheriff’s office: Teen shot by deputy during altercation

CHUBBUCK, Idaho – A 16-year-old boy was shot by a Bannock County sheriff’s deputy after running from a traffic stop here on Friday night, authorities said.

The shooting occurred around 9 p.m. in the area of Whitaker and Siphon roads near Ellis Elementary School after the deputy pulled over a vehicle with multiple occupants, authorities said.

The Bannock County Sheriff’s Office said the boy was a passenger in the vehicle which was driven by an 18-year-old male who was taken into custody after the shooting.

The Sheriff’s Office said that after the deputy pulled the vehicle over, the 16-year-old boy ran from the vehicle and the deputy chased him on foot. When the deputy caught up with the boy an altercation ensued and the deputy shot the boy, the Sheriff’s Office said.

The boy was rushed via Pocatello Fire Department ambulance from the scene to Portneuf Medical Center in Pocatello after the deputy shot him. Authorities said that as of Saturday afternoon the boy was still alive but they would not comment further on his condition.

No charges have yet been filed against the 18-year-old driver or anyone else who was in the vehicle, the Sheriff’s Office reported.

Authorities said the deputy pulled over the vehicle for a traffic violation. Authorities would not say whether the boy or anyone else in the vehicle was armed. Nor would authorities say why the boy fled or provide any additional details on the altercation that resulted in the deputy shooting the boy.

Bannock County Sheriff Lorin Nielsen said it’s safe to say that the deputy opened fire because he felt his life was in danger.

Neither the boy’s name nor the names of the others in the vehicle have been released by authorities. Authorities haven’t yet said how many people were in the vehicle.

The East Idaho Critical Incident Team, which has representatives from all of East Idaho’s law enforcement agencies, is investigating the shooting.

That investigation is being led by the Power County Sheriff’s Office.

Police shut down Whitaker and Siphon roads for several hours in the area of the shooting while they investigated the incident.

The name of the sheriff’s deputy who shot the boy has not been released.