Second officer released from hospital following shooting
POCATELLO, Idaho (KIFI) - UPDATE 5/11/22: The second Pocatello Police officer involved in last Thursday's shooting has been released from the hospital.
Officers Demetrius Amos was released Wednesday, almost a week after being shot in the face.
Police chief Schei said the shot "went out his neck and down into his chest. It was a pretty brutal injury and for him to recover from that and to be where is at right now is nothing simple than a miracle."
The other officer, Mackenzie Handel was released Sunday.
UPDATE 5/10/22: Quick thinking may have been what saved the lives of two Pocatello police officers during a shooting last week.
Police Chief Roger Schei shared more information about the officers during a press conference Tuesday afternoon. You can watch it below.
He says officers Demetrius Amos and Mackenzie Handel are both still recovering from their injuries.
Officer Handel was released from the hospital with injuries in his abdomen while Officer Amos is still in the the hospital with critical injuries.
"He sustained an injuring to abdomen as well as an injury to his face and his neck. The shot to his face went out his neck and down into his chest, Chief Schei said. "It was a pretty brutal injury and for him to recover from that and to be where is at right now is nothing simple than a miracle."
Chief Schei says good training, good equipment and good leadership is what kept the situation from escalating to more injuries.
The shooting happened early Thursday morning when officers were called to a disturbance at home on East Bridger Street.
In total, there were 19 Pocatello Police Officers at the scene, five of which were trainees. Each trainee is assigned to an officer. The trainees have been with the department for approximately two months, and May 5 marked their third day of in field training.
Also during the incident, PPD had four dispatchers on the call working behind the scenes.
“All of these people kept their composure in the face of adversity, and their actions from the reports I have read and video I have seen are nothing short of heroic,” Schei said. “They are the bravest of the brave, from the dispatchers who took the call and stayed on the phone during the incident to the officers who responded.”
When officers approached the home, they said Todd Brewer started shooting a rifle toward them.
Brewer was also shot and remains in the hospital.
UPDATE 5/10/22: The Pocatello Police Department is releasing the names of the two officers involved in the officer-involved shooting that occurred May 5, 2022, on East Bridger Street.
Officer Demetrius Amos, a member of PPD for six years, and Officer Mackenzie Handel, a member of PPD for four years, both continue to recover from their injuries. You can view more details below.
UPDATE 5/7/22: One of the officers involved in the shooting has been released from the hospital. The second officer remains in the hospital.
ORIGINAL STORY:
The Pocatello Police Department held a press conference Thursday afternoon in reference to an officer-involved shooting that occurred Thursday morning involving two Pocatello police officers. You can watch it below.
Pocatello Police Chief Roger Schei said the officers were dispatched at 1:39 a.m. Thursday and arrived at 1:41 a.m.
The original call came in as a disturbance. Upon arrival, the officers exited their vehicles at 941 E. Bridger in Pocatello.
Chief Schei said as the officers approached the residence, they contacted Todd V. Brewer in the yard and gave him commands and observed he was armed with a rifle. Brewer raised the rifle toward the officers, and at that time, shots were fired by the officers.
Brewer then ran toward the alleyway, and the officers moved to that location where there was an exchange of gunfire where one officer was hit approximately three times and another was struck one time. Police said Bewer was struck as well, and the number of times is under investigation. Officers on scene provided medical assistance.
Brewer was then taken into custody, and an ambulance transported him to Portneuf Medical Center.
The officers were placed into the back of separate squad cars and were taken to Portneuf Medical Center.
Chief Schei said the officers are in stable condition at this time and he has not received an update on Brewer but believes he is in stable condition.
"The community has responded very great," Chief Schei said. "They have nothing but support for the injured officers, so thank you to the community."
Chief Schei said Mayor Brian Blad has been by his side through this whole thing. They both went to the hospital to check on the officers.
"When you see that one of your people is hurt like that, you take that to heart," Chief Schei said.
Chief Schei said names of the officers are not being released right now.
He said the last time there was an officer-involved shooting in Pocatello was 2006.
Bannock County Prosecutor Steve Herzog said they anticipate charging Brewer with two counts of aggravated battery on a law enforcement officer with the intent to commit a serious felony. Each count has the potential of 25 years in incarceration and there's a deadly weapon enhancement that goes along with each count which can add 15 years to each count.
Herzog said the could run consecutively, so potentially he faces an 80 year period of prison time.
He said they are going to time the charging on Brewer's medical condition.
ORIGINAL: Two Pocatello police officers are recovering in the hospital after gunfire broke out early Thursday morning.
At approximately 1:40 a.m., officers responded to a disturbance at 941 E. Bridger in Pocatello.
Immediately upon the officers’ arrival, a male subject fired upon them, and officers returned fire.
Two Pocatello police officers were wounded in the exchange of gunfire as well as the suspect.
The two officers and the suspect are being treated for their injuries at the local hospital.
This was an isolated incident and there is no danger to the public.
