Officials: McCammon Man In Shootout With Police

A man is in critical condition following a Saturday evening shootout with law enforcement.

According to the Bannock County Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded to a home on the 900-block of 3rd Street in McCammon following reports of gunshots fired.

Deputies said Dennis Allen Buzzell, 51, had a weapon when they arrived.

Deputies then secured and evacuated the area before calling in a SWAT team.

Officials said that after several hours of negotiation, Buzzell exited his home with a gun and began firing. Officers returned fire, hitting Buzzell.

A task force comprised of law enforcement officials from across eastern Idaho, led by the Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office and Idaho State Police, is investigating to determine whether or not officers did the right thing. Bannock County Sheriff Lorin Nielsen said he is confident in his officers.

“Based on what I observed at the scene, I was very, very proud and am always proud of the actions that my officers take,” he said.

Nielsen said his officers train for this type of situation more than anything else.

“It’s not an incident that happens very often, but when it does happen, the stakes are very, very high,” Nielsen said.

The feeling among neighbors is like a sigh of relief. Bruce Thompson and his wife live right behind Buzzell’s house, and Thompson was able to watch most of what happened from a small window in the back of his home. He said he thought the police were extremely organized.

“There was a lot of officers and they were working and doing things safely and efficiently,” Thompson said.

He and his wife feel safe today, and are just glad that the situation is over.

“I was safe and I could see things that happened pretty well from this side of the house,” Thompson said.

Neighbors were allowed back in their homes after the standoff.

Buzzell does have a prior record and police have been called to his house before, Nielsen said.