Holly MatkinBoise, ID – An Ada County sheriff’s deputy was stabbed multiple times while interacting with a pedestrian who was out walking on the interstate on Monday morning.
The incident occurred on Interstate 84 near Eisenman Road at approximately 2 a.m. on April 10, the Ada County Sheriff’s Office (ACSO) said in a press release later that day.
Deputies responded to the area after the Ada County Emergency 911 dispatch center received a report about two men dressed in dark clothing who were walking in the far right lane of the eastbound traffic.
One of the pedestrians had a bicycle with him.
The sheriff’s office said one 911 caller said two trucks were forced to swerve around the man with the bike in order to avoid hitting him.
The man with the bike was later identified as 40-year-old Jared Decker.
Deputies said they found Decker walking on the roadway and asked him to leave the area.
Decker allegedly refused, then “yelled at the deputies and kept going,” the ACSO said.
They continued to try to coax the suspect off of the interstate peacefully, but he would not comply, according to the sheriff’s office.
That’s when a team of four deputies determined he needed to be taken into custody.
The deputies approached Decker and again asked him to stop, but he “kept walking away,” the ACSO said.
“When one of the deputies grabbed Decker’s backpack, he swung around and grabbed the deputy,” according to the sheriff’s office.
The deputy and Decker fell to the ground as Decker pulled out a knife and stabbed him repeatedly, the ACSO said.
Two of the other deputies at the scene drew their duty weapons and shot the assailant, “incapacitating him” and ending the attack, according to the ACSO.
The wounded deputy suffered severe injuries and was immediately loaded into a patrol car by a fellow deputy who then drove him to meet an ambulance closer to Boise.
He underwent multiple surgeries and has since been listed in stable condition.
His identity was not immediately released.
Meanwhile, deputies rendered aid to Decker, who had been shot multiple times in the torso, the ACSO said.
He was subsequently transported to a local hospital by emergency medical personnel, but he succumbed to his wounds a short while later.
The Ada County Critical Incident Task Force, which is being led by the Boise Police Department, will handle the ongoing investigation into the fatal deputy-involved shooting.
The Ada County Sheriff Employees’ Association (ACSEA) released a statement about the violent confrontation on Monday afternoon.
“We wanted to let you know our deputy has made it through a series of surgeries today and is looking at a long recovery road ahead,” the association said. “While it looks like his injuries aren’t life threatening, we know there is a very good chance they could be life changing. Who knows what the future will bring?”
The ACSEA expressed its appreciation for everyone who reached out to ask how they could help the wounded hero.
The organization has set up a donation fund at the Idaho Central Credit Union to aid in the effort.
“It means so much to us to know people in our community feel deeply about the sacrifice local law enforcement make and want to help. Thank you,” the ACSO said.
