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A "dangerous" inmate in Idaho escaped from custody at a hospital early Wednesday after a second suspect ambushed officers and opened fire, striking two, in what authorities believe was a planned attack.
The shooting unfolded at 2:15 a.m. as Idaho Department of Corrections (IDOC) officers were getting ready to return inmate Skylar Meade to jail. Meade had been transported to Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center for treatment after engaging in what IDOC Director Josh Tewalt described as "self-injurious behavior."
At the hospital, a suspect – later identified as Nicholas Umphenour – attacked and fired at the officers. One officer struck was in critical but stable condition, while the other officer sustained serious but non-life-threatening injuries.
A third IDOC officer was injured after Boise police responded and fired at an armed individual near the hospital entrance. The IDOC officer was not seriously injured and received treatment.
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L-R: Nicholas Umphenour and Skylar Meade. (Boise Police Department)
"This brazen, violent, and apparently coordinated attack on Idaho Department of Corrections personnel, to facilitate an escape of a dangerous inmate, was carried out right in front of the Emergency Department, where people come for medical help, often in the direst circumstances," Boise Police Chief Ron Winegar said in a written statement.
Police said the two wanted suspects were last seen traveling in a gray four-door sedan. (Boise Police Department)
The hospital had been placed on a temporary lockdown after the "shooting incident" happened in the ambulance bay by the emergency department, hospital spokeswoman Leticia Ramirez said.
"All patients and staff are safe, the medical center campus is safe and secure, and has resumed normal operations," Ramirez said in a statement to The Associated Press. Ramirez added that the hospital is stepping up security, closing all entrances until further notice.
Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center was placed on temporary lockdown following the shooting near its ambulance bay. (Google Maps)
Police said the two wanted suspects fled the scene in a Grey 2020 Honda Civic, with the license plate 2TDF43U. Both suspects are said to be armed and dangerous.
Boise police have provided a photo of Skylar Meade from prison. (Boise Police Department)
Meade was sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2017 for firing shots at a Twin Falls sheriff's sergeant during a high-speed chase. His prior convictions include felony possession of a controlled substance, grand theft, and introduction of contraband into a correctional facility.
Police said Meade is an affiliated member of the "Arayan Knights," a white supremacist prison gang based primarily in Idaho. He has the numbers 1 and 11 tattooed on either side of his face, representing "A" and "K."
Meade had been placed in what Tewalt called "administrative segregation," a type of solitary confinement at Idaho Maximum Security Institution in Kuna, because of his behavior while in custody.
"It's a form of restrictive housing that really is reserved for those people in our custody who have proven they can't be housed without being a danger to themselves," Tewalt said.
Boise officers have obtained a warrant for umphenour's arrest on aggravated battery against a law enforcement officer and abetting an escape. The warrant has a two-million bond, Boise police said.
Authorities asked anyone with information about the incident or the suspects to call Ada County Dispatch at 208-377-6790.
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