Officers cleared in fatal shooting
IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) - A Critical Incident Task Force has concluded there is no evidence to support criminal charges against Bonneville County Sheriff's Deputy Dino Vidal or Deputy Cooper Merrill in the shooting death of Peter England, 21, on December 30, 2020.
As a result, Bonneville County Prosecutor Daniel Clark has determined the deputies' actions were justified.
You can read our previous story HERE.
The Task Force told Clark England's approach, with a handgun raised at pointed at one of the deputies, "was going to do great bodily harm or death upon one or both of them."
The report said the deputies' reaction to the rapid fire left them no other options. It said the reaction remained reasonable as England moved behind another vehicle, seeking cover to potentially gain an even more favorable fighting position.
According to the report, law enforcement officers are allowed to use deadly force when it is reasonably believed that someone poses a risk of great bodily harm. England's behavior, it said, provided both the justification to respond with deadly force as well as probable cause that England's resistance posed a reasonable risk of great bodily harm.
