Two white supremacists have been recaptured and are being investigated for two murders committed hours after their escape Wednesday morning.
Three corrections officers were shot and killed when a gunman burst into St. Alphonsus Hospital in Boise, Idaho, this morning and freed prisoner Skylar Meade, 31, who was being treated under guard.
Both men fled, but Meade was arrested alongside Nicholas Umphenour after a car chase Thursday afternoon at 2 p.m. in Twin Falls, Idaho.
The Boise Police Department said it is currently investigating two separate homicides, one in Nez Perce County and the other in Clearwater County, potentially linked to the two men, both members of the Aryan Knights.
Police said the two men abandoned their getaway vehicle and were driving a vehicle belonging to one of the homicide victims, and that the handcuffs worn by Meade when he fled were found at the scene of the shooting. one of the murders.
The gunman opened fire on captured police officers who had taken Skylar Meade, seen here, to St. Alphonsus Hospital in Boise, Idaho, for treatment early Wednesday morning.
Nicholas Umphenour was arrested alongside Meade and charged with aiding his escape
Meade “engaged in self-injurious behavior” Tuesday evening, and prison medical staff determined he needed to be transported to a hospital for treatment, state police said. ‘Idaho.
“What we do know, with near certainty, was not an accident,” said Josh Tewalt of the corrections department.
“It was a planned event. And we’re using every resource we have to try to understand exactly how they went about planning it.
As jail staff prepared to take Meade back to jail early Wednesday morning, a suspect began shooting at officers, hitting two of them.
Boise police responded to the incident and an officer shot an armed person near the entrance, who was later determined to be a corrections officer.
One officer is in critical but stable condition, another has serious but non-life-threatening injuries and the third was not seriously injured when he was mistakenly shot by a police officer arriving in Boise, a declared a spokesperson.
According to Boise police, a preliminary investigation indicates Meade fled in a gray four-door sedan and fled the area just before officers arrived.
Idaho State Police said that vehicle, a 2020 Honda Civic, was later found near Leland, Idaho, south of Kendrick.
Meade is serving a prison sentence for aggravated battery of a Twin Falls officer and was convicted in 2016 and is scheduled to be released in 2036, according to KMVT.
He “engaged in self-injurious behavior” Tuesday evening and prison medical staff determined he needed to be transported to a hospital for treatment, state police said. Idaho.
He has previous convictions for possession of a controlled substance, grand larceny and introducing contraband into a correctional facility.
He has been incarcerated since October 2016 and his most recent sentence was due to end in October 2036.
Umphenour was imprisoned from December 2020 to January 2024 in the same Idaho Max Security facility where Meade was serving his sentence, sometimes sharing the same housing unit, Tewalt said.
Chief Ron Winegar said in a statement: “This brazen, violent and apparently coordinated attack on Idaho Department of Corrections personnel, to facilitate the escape of a dangerous inmate, was carried out right in front of the emergency department , where people come for medical care. help, often in the most extreme circumstances.
“When BPD officers responded, they believed the shooter was inside the emergency department.
Officers with the Boise Police Department said at a news conference this afternoon that they feared the white supremacists may have committed two murders during their hours on the run.
A St. Alphonsus spokesperson said the shooting happened in the ambulance area of the emergency department.
A police vehicle is parked in front of Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center in Boise, Idaho, Wednesday, March 20, 2024.
This photo provided by the Idaho Department of Corrections shows Skylar Mead in a prison photo
The 2020 Honda Civic, in which the two men escaped, was later found near Leland, Idaho, south of Kendrick.
“They immediately went in to deal with any ongoing potential threat to emergency personnel.
“I am grateful that this heartbreaking incident did not result in loss of life, and we are monitoring the injured IDOC officers with great hope for a full and speedy recovery for all involved.
“They are armed, dangerous and have shown that they are willing to use extreme violence to continue their criminal activities.”
A St. Alphonse spokesperson said the shooting happened in the ambulance area of the emergency department.
“All patients and staff are safe, the medical center campus is safe and secure and has resumed normal operations.
“The emergency department itself is currently temporarily closed while the Boise Police Department completes the investigation,” Leticia Ramirez said.
She said that as an added precaution, “we have increased security on campus, all entrances to the hospital will be closed” and monitored by hospital security until further notice.