Boise Police Officer Actions Justified: Bodycam Footage [WATCH]

Gem County Prosecuting Attorney Erick Thomson has announced that the actions of the Boise Police officer involved in the shooting and injuring of Harry Andrews on January 3rd, 2023, "were justified under the law," according to a press release from the Boise Police Department.

"The prosecutor reviewed the officer’s on-body video as well as the complete investigation conducted by the Ada County Critical Incident Task Force (CITF) led by the Ada County Sheriff’s Office."

What happened?

The incident happened around 9:40am on January 3rd, 2023, when Ada County Dispatch received reports of a man walking  around on westbound Interstate 184 near the Flying Wye. The responding officer was Sgt. Rush, and he encountered the suspect who was later identified as Harry Andrews, as he was walking along the curve of the westbound bridge.

As Sgt. Rush approached Andrews to see what was going on, the suspect held up a knife and started advancing towards the officer. After repeated requests from Sgt. Rush telling Andrews to get on the ground, Andrews ultimately ignored those requests and charged at the officer with his knife. During this encounter, Sgt. Rush "discharged his duty weapon two times striking Andrews."

"I wanted to kill you."

While other responding officers provided medical care, the suspect told Sgt. Rush, “I wanted to kill you.” Andrews was arrested, and he pled guilty in October 2023 to aggravated assault with a deadly weapon enhancement. On January 10th, 2024, he was sentenced to 25 years in prison, with 20 years fixed before parole eligibility.

This is all according to the press release from the Boise Police Department. You can get more details and watch the body cam provided by the Boise Police Department here: