McCammon Man Who Shot At Police Dies

The man who shot at police in April died on Thursday morning, the Bannock County Sheriff’s Office said.

Dennis Allen Buzzell, 51, was taken to Portneuf Medical Center after a shoot out with police on April 14.

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

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

Sheriff Lorin Nielsen said he believes the independent investigation reports will show that this was an attempted suicide-by-cop.

At a press conference on Thursday afternoon, the Sheriff also said that Buzzell had terminal cancer.

It is still unclear what ultimately killed Buzzell, and that will not be known until his autopsy comes back, Nielsen said. The autopsy will happen this week.

The Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office has completed its independent investigation and the reports are being sent to an Ada County prosecutor on Friday, Nielsen said.

Nielsen took the time to extend his sympathies to Buzzell’s family, and he highlighted the need for more mental health funding in Idaho.

“I think I at least owe him and his family to broadcast that we feel that he needed those kinds of resources, and I don’t know if he was able to get them or not, but we are saddened that our state is not at the forefront of mental illness,” said Nielsen.

The two officers who shot Buzzell came back to work on Monday after a mandatory suspension and psychiatric examination. The officers have obviously gone through a lot, Nielsen said, but a Salt Lake City psychiatrist has been working with them and their families.

If Buzzell had ever recovered, county prosecutors were prepared to charge him with six counts of aggravated assault on an officer, Nielsen said.