Current:Home > InvestIdaho suspected shooter and escaped inmate both in custody after manhunt, officials say-LoTradeCoin
Idaho suspected shooter and escaped inmate both in custody after manhunt, officials say
View Date:2024-12-24 07:35:40
An escaped inmate and his alleged accomplice, both members of a white supremacist gang, were arrested in Twin Falls, Idaho, on Thursday afternoon after a massive manhunt.
Inmate Skylar Meade escaped from a medical center in Boise early Wednesday morning after Nicholas Umphenour allegedly opened fire on corrections officers who were taking Meade back to prison.
The suspects were located in the Twin Falls area at around 2 p.m. local time Thursday, Boise Police Chief Ron Winegar said at a news conference. After a short vehicle pursuit, the suspects were taken into custody separately. No shots were fired.
Two homicides committed in the last 24 hours in Idaho are being investigated as possibly linked to the suspects, Idaho State Police Lt. Colonel Sheldon Kelley said. The suspects were found driving a Honda Civic that police said belonged to one of the victims.
The homicide victims, both men, were discovered in separate counties — one in Nez Perce and one in Clearwater, the city of Boise disclosed in a press release Thursday afternoon.
Once Umphenour was identified as a potential suspect, investigators looked into his connections to Meade, Josh Tewalt, director of the state's Department of Correction, said at Thursday's conference.
In addition to both being documented members of the white supremacist gang the Aryan Knights, the two men had both periodically lived in the same housing unit in the Idaho Maximum Security Institution, where Umphenour was in custody from December 2020 to January 2024, officials said. They also shared common acquaintances both in and out of custody.
Tewalt said that the suspects' gang involvement didn't necessarily indicate that the escape was a "gang-sanctioned event," adding that the department was monitoring the Aryan Knights in prison "to mitigate the damage that gangs can do."
"Independent of their actions, we work hard every day to try and disrupt any organized criminal activity that happens in our facilities," Tewalt said Thursday.
"Law enforcement believes the capture was successful due to the hundreds of tips from the public and the multiple responding law enforcement agencies," the city of Boise said in its press release.
Meade engaged in "self-injurious" behavior Tuesday night, after which officers determined he needed to be transferred off-site for care, Tewalt said on Wednesday.
Umphenour attacked and fired at two officers at Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center at around 2:15 a.m. Wednesday, officials said. A third person, later determined to be a corrections officer, was shot by responding Boise police officers.
One of the injured corrections officers was released from the hospital Wednesday evening, while the two other injured officers remain hospitalized, Tewalt said Thursday.
"They are stable, improving, and I think with today's news their spirits are lifted," Tewalt said, calling the incident a "tough ordeal for corrections family."
S. DevS. Dev is a news editor for CBSNews.com.
veryGood! (99)
Related
- It's cozy gaming season! Video game updates you may have missed, including Stardew Valley
- Jason Momoa's 584-HP electric Rolls-Royce Phantom II is all sorts of awesome
- How Keke Palmer and Ex Darius Jackson Celebrated Son Leo on His First Birthday
- A smuggling arrest is made, 2 years after family froze to death on the Canadian border
- Hurricane-damaged Tropicana Field can be fixed for about $55M in time for 2026 season, per report
- Olivia Rodrigo has always been better than 'great for her age.' The Guts Tour proved it
- Police in small Missouri town fatally shoot knife-wielding suspect during altercation
- AT&T to offer customers a $5 credit after phone service outage. Here's how to get it.
- Olympic Skier Lindsey Vonn Coming Out of Retirement at 40
- Bill supporting development of nuclear energy powers to pass in Kentucky Senate
Ranking
- Jelly Roll goes to jail (for the best reason) ahead of Indianapolis concert
- Cam Newton involved in fight at Georgia youth football camp
- Duke’s Scheyer wants the ACC to implement measures to prevent court-storming after Filipowski injury
- Lori Loughlin's Gift to Daughter Olivia Jade Will Have You Rolling With Laughter
- 'Devastation is absolutely heartbreaking' from Southern California wildfire
- A smuggling arrest is made, 2 years after family froze to death on the Canadian border
- Florida Man Games: See photos of the the wacky competitions inspired by the headlines
- Explosive device detonated outside Alabama attorney general’s office
Recommendation
-
Bankruptcy judge questioned Shilo Sanders' no-show at previous trial
-
U.S. Army restores honor to Black soldiers hanged in Jim Crow-era South
-
Natalee Holloway's Brother Shares Bone-Chilling Details From Days After Her Murder
-
What is a 'stan'? How an Eminem song sparked the fandom slang term.
-
4 arrested in California car insurance scam: 'Clearly a human in a bear suit'
-
Score 75% off a Coach Bag, 60% off Good American Jeans, Get a $55 Meat Thermometer for $5, and More Deals
-
Francia Raísa Gets Candid on Her Weight Fluctuation Amid PCOS Battle
-
Google suspends AI image feature from making pictures of people after inaccurate photos