2 Idaho Cops Shot As Suspect Greets Them With AR-15 And Shotgun At Disturbance Call

Pocatello, ID – Two Pocatello officers were shot on Thursday when they responded to a disturbance call and were greeted by a man with a semiautomatic rifle and a shotgun.

Pocatello Police Chief Roger Schei said the incident occurred at about 1:40 a.m. on May 5 in the 900-block of East Bridger in a neighborhood nearby City Hall, KIFI reported.

Chief Schei said officers exited their vehicles and found 45-year-old Todd V. Brewer waiting in the yard, armed with a rifle and a shotgun

Officers ordered Brewer to drop the guns but he ignored them, the Idaho State Journal reported.

“As they approached the residence, the officers contacted [Brewer] in the yard and gave him commands,” Chief Schei told reporters at a media briefing late in the day.

“Officers observed [Brewer] was armed with a rifle that he raised toward the officers. At that time shots were fired by the officers,” the police chief explained.

Brewer fled toward the alley after the exchange of gunfire and police followed him, KIFI reported.

Chief Schei said Brewer fired an AR-15 semiautomatic rifle at the officers but he also had a shotgun with him, the Idaho State Journal reported.

The gunfight continued and one officer was shot three times and another officer was shot once.

“One officer was hit, we believe, approximately three times, another officer was struck one time and Brewer was struck as well, we believe at this point two times, but we are doing further research on that,” Chief Schei said.

Officials have not yet confirmed how many times Brewer was shot, KIFI reported.

Officers immediately rendered First Aid to the wounded suspect at the scene.

Brewer was transported by ambulance to Portneuf Medical Center, KIFI reported.

The wounded officers were put into two separate patrol vehicles and rushed to the same hospital by fellow officers.

Officials said the decision to transport the officers immediately and not wait for the Pocatello Fire Department may have saved their lives, the Idaho State Journal reported.

Chief Schei said late on Thursday that both officers were in stable condition, KIFI reported.

The police department has not yet released the names of the wounded heroes, nor have they provided any details about the wounds they sustained in the gunfight, the Idaho State Journal reported.

Officials also have not released any details about the reported disturbance that initially prompted dispatchers to send officers to the home.

The police chief said that all of the officers involved had bodycams activated during the incident, the Idaho State Journal reported.

Brewer will be booked into the Bannock County Jail in Pocatello when he is released from the hospital.

Bannock County Prosecutor Steve Herzog said he planned to charge Brewer with two counts of aggravated battery on a law enforcement officer with the intent to commit a serious felony, KIFI reported.

If convicted, each count carries up to 25 years in prison.

Herzog said he also planned to add a deadly weapon enhancement to each count which can boost Brewer’s sentence by 15 years per count, KIFI reported.

With the enhancements, the prosecutor said Brewer could serve as many as 80 years behind bars.

The police chief told reporters he was proud of his entire team’s handling of the incident, the Idaho State Journal reported.

“How the officers and dispatch responded, they did a good job,” Chief Schei said. “The community has responded very great and has had nothing but support for the injured officers.”

“These officers, I know them,” the chief continued. “I’ve trained them and worked with them their whole careers. When you see that [some] of your people are hurt like that, you take that to heart.”