IF officers honored after avoiding deadly force
Six Idaho Falls police officers were honored with the Captain’s Commendations for their tactical approach during an incident involving an armed man on Oct. 5.
The IF police department honored Sgt. Jeremy Galtbreaith and officers Dustin Cook, Jason Hendrian, Brandon Storer, Eric Andersen and Shawn Williams this week.
The officers responded to a threat at the Walmart along Utah Ave. Authorities said a man was loading a high-powered rifle outside the store. Instead of defusing the situation with deadly force, officers said they were able to calm the man down and take him into police custody.
“No officer wants to shoot and kill anybody or even shoot somebody; it weighs on them heavily as an individual. They’re human beings and they don’t want to be a part of that,” said Idaho Falls Police Chief Mark McBride. “All of our officers practice restraint. They sometimes second-guess themselves, whether they need to use deadly force or not, but all in all these things have come out for the positive in our community and for our officers.”
Officers were able to confirm that the man was attempting a “suicide-by-cop” scenario.
“I guess it’s not illegal to have those thoughts, but it’s a mental health issue, is what it amounts to. Obviously they need some great help for the disturbance they’re going through,” said McBride.
