Man killed in standoff with Bingham Sheriff deputies identified
BLACKFOOT, Idaho (KIFI) - Updated Feb. 16, 3 p.m. - The Bingham County Sheriff's Office has identified the man killed after a long stand-off with authorities Sunday as Bruce Diehl, 51, of Shelley. Sheriff Craig Rowland said the man had a long history of dealing with Bonneville County law enforcement.
Updated Feb. 15, 3:30 p.m. The man killed Sunday in a standoff with Bingham County Sheriff deputies was reportedly squatting in the home.
According to Bingham County Sheriff Craig Rowland, his office was aware the man had been squatting at the home in the rural area of 800 N. and 150 W. for about two weeks.
The property owners were fixing up the home and do not live there, so the man was allegedly squatting in the empty home. Property owners were working with deputies to remove the man from the home, but each time deputies came to remove him, he wasn't there.
Early Sunday morning when deputies were dispatched to the home, they spent hours negotiating with the man on his cell phone. When the Bonneville SWAT team arrived, he turned off his phone. Rowland said the man told deputies if they came into the home, they would "leave in a body bag."
Around 7 a.m., the man fired his first shots at the deputies, who returned fire and wounded him.
Eventually, around 12 p.m., the SWAT team was able to break down the front door with a BearCat, a military grade armored rescue vehicle. Deputies found the man wounded in a bedroom, where they performed life saving measures until transporting him to Bingham Memorial Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.
Bingham County Sheriff's Office is not releasing the man's name yet.
ORIGINAL: A man who barricaded himself inside a home for several hours Sunday died after a shooting involving Bingham County Sheriff deputies.
The Sheriff's office reports deputies surrounded a home in the area of 800 N. and 150 W. at approximately 2:30 a.m.
They said the man inside fired multiple times at deputies from the home. Deputies called in the Eastern Idaho STAR and Bonneville Sheriff's SWAT team.
They said as deputies tried to negotiate for him to surrender, the man kept firing shot towards them. Deputies returned fire and wounded him and were able to contain him.
They said, "At that time Deputies and medics on scene began life saving efforts until the man could be transported to Bingham County Memorial Hospital where he later succumbed to his injuries."
No other people were inside the home and no one else was injured.
The Eastern Idaho Critical Incident Task Force will investigate the shooting. They said more information will be released at a later time, pending necessary notifications and gathering of evidence, they said.
Correction: Sheriff Deputies reported the suspect was flown to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center, but later said he was actually taken to Bingham Memorial Hospital. They also reported the incident happened in the wrong location and time it started. Those have been updated with the correct information.
