An attack on Idaho Department of Correction staffers left three IDOC officers with gunshot injuries at Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center in the Boise Bench early Wednesday morning, with the two suspects of the attack still at large, according to Boise police.
IDOC officers were preparing to transport prisoner Skylar Meade, 31, from the hospital back to prison at 2:15 a.m. when an unknown suspect attacked and fired at the officers in the ambulance bay, shooting two of them, the Boise Police Department said in a news release. One officer is in “critical but stable condition,” and the other has “serious but non-life-threatening injuries,” police said.
When Boise police “responded to the hospital to reports of an active shooter,” one Boise officer fired his gun at an “armed individual near the entrance,” who turned out to be one of the IDOC officers, police said. By the time police arrived, the two suspects had already fled, according to police.
The IDOC officer shot by police “was not seriously injured and is receiving treatment for his injuries,” police said.
“We believe that this was a coordinated attack and ambush on the Department of Correction officers and certainly a planned endeavor to free (Meade) from custody,” Boise Police Chief Winegar said at a news conference Wednesday.
IDOC employees took Meade to the hospital at 9:35 p.m. Tuesday for treatment for self-inflicted injuries, IDOC Director Josh Tewalt said at the conference. The director declined to specify the type of injuries, but police photos showed Meade with what appeared to be a bloody gash on his face.
Law enforcement continued to search for the suspects, who were “armed and dangerous” and traveling in a gray four-door sedan, possibly a Honda Civic with Idaho license plates, police said. Idaho State Police issued a Blue Alert, which is used for violent criminals who have killed or seriously injured an officer in the line of duty, according the U.S. Department of Justice. Law enforcement has not yet identified Meade’s accomplice.
“There have been dozens of leads coming in all night and all day,” Winegar said. “There are teams of detectives following up on these.”
The hospital was placed on temporary lockdown while police secured the scene but has since resumed normal operations, according to police. Saint Alphonsus said it has increased security on campus and that all entrances to the hospital “will be closed and monitored” until further notice.
“All patients and staff are safe,” Saint Alphonsus said in its news release. “The medical center campus is safe and secure.”
Meade has been found guilty of several crimes in Twin Falls County. Court records showed he has been in prison since 2016 and was set for release in 2036. Police said he has been serving time for aggravated battery on a law enforcement officer with a firearm enhancement. He also has prior convictions for felony possession of a controlled substance, grand theft and introduction of contraband into a correctional facility, according to police.
Idaho State Police described Meade as a 5-foot-6 white man with brown hair and hazel eyes, with tattoos of a “D” on his right arm, a clown or skull face across his chest, and “product of my environment” written across his collarbone. Updated photos provided by Boise police appeared to show Meade also has facial tattoos on his forehead and cheeks. Police asked anyone with information to call Ada County Dispatch at 208-377-6790.
“I want to make sure that the public knows these folks are dangerous,” Winegar said. “We don’t believe they are necessarily a danger to the public per se unless they are confronted or somebody stands in their way of being captured again. So we just encourage folks to call 911 and let us approach them with the special tools and tactics and training that we have available.”
Meade is a “documented gang member” with the Aryan Knights and has two tattoos relating to the group, including “AK” on his stomach and “11,” for the 11th letter of the alphabet, on his face, Winegar said. The Aryan Knights are a prison-based white supremacy gang that operates primarily in Idaho, according to the Anti-Defamation League.
Boise police and the Department of Correction did not respond to the Idaho Statesman’s questions. Saint Alphonsus declined to provide additional information.
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