“You always hope it never happens. I wish it never happened. I hope it never happens again,” Idaho Falls Police Chief Bryce Johnson said during a press conference Jan. 29 after the officer-involved shooting of Wyatt Landon.
Since Nov. 13, Idaho Falls has experienced seven shootings, with at least one shooting each month. Three of the shootings have taken place with IFPD officers. The overall shootings resulted in the deaths of four individuals, injuring eight with another eight arrested.
Johnson said during a March 26 meeting with neighbors near 4th Street that violent crime in the city has increased over the past few years. From 2022 to 2023, violent crime has increased by 13%; from 2023 to 2024, the number has increased to 24%.
“This year, January, February, (March), very, very hard months all over Idaho Falls ... if you’re feeling like more is going on, there’s some accuracy in the data,” Johnson said in the March neighborhood meeting.
Johnson said the city averages one shooting involving officers per year to no shootings. Homicides happen once or twice a year.
“We’ve had multiple (homicides) here right in one space of time. ... But in general though, we are seeing increasing crime in Idaho Falls, our population is increasing, and we’re seeing some increases,” Johnson said after the March neighborhood meeting.
The following is a rundown of shootings in that space of time.
NovemberOn Nov. 13, officers were called to the 200 block of 4th Street for a report of a person being shot.
Eric Mayfield was charged in this incident with two felonies: unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and destruction or concealment of evidence. If found guilty, he faces 10 years in prison.
According to the probable cause affidavit, the incident occurred during a dispute between Mayfield and the renters of one of his rooms in his house. Mayfield requested two friends to come to the residence as he feared the victim was taller and stronger than he was.
An altercation broke out where the victim had one of Mayfield’s friends on the ground. Mayfield feared his friend would get seriously hurt, grabbed a handgun off the table and pointed it at the victim. The victim walked toward Mayfield and was shot once in the shoulder.
Mayfield ran toward the back door, toward a friend’s house. Mayfield hid the gun in some leaves and hid from police.
He later surrendered to police when he realized they were not going to leave.
The victim was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Mayfield is scheduled for an arraignment at 8:15 a.m. April 15 with District Judge Dane Watkins Jr.
DecemberOfficers were involved in a shootout Dec. 4 with a 34-year-old suspect after a traffic stop was made on Pancheri Drive and South Yellowstone Highway. This was 21 days after the shooting on 4th Street.
Idaho State Police initiated a traffic stop for a vehicle in violation. Trooper Alexandra Larrea requested Idaho Falls Police Officer Mitch Bierma and his K-9 officer to help investigate the car.
In a dashcam video, the trooper ran away from the vehicle as the suspect, Marcos Cortez , fired four rounds at the trooper and twice at Bierma.
The trooper and Bierma returned fire as Cortez ran away behind a neighboring business but was found at the 1700 block of South Yellowstone Highway.
Officers yelled at Cortez to drop the gun. Cortez is seen on the bodycam video holding the gun to his head. After a K-9 officer was sent in to subdue Cortez, he fired one round, killing himself.
Idaho Falls Sgt. Kevin Goms, who arrived on the scene to help with the incident, fired one round after hearing Cortez shoot, striking him in the leg. According to a press release from Bonneville County Prosecuting Attorney Randy Neal, Goms believed Cortez had fired at officers.
Neal found Larrea, Bierma and Goms were justified in their actions in this incident.
No officers were injured during this incident.
On Dec. 31, and 27 days after the incident with Cortez, Idaho Falls Police officers arrested Phillip Hobbs , 33, after a report was made of a man being shot on the 400 block of G Street.
Hobbs had allegedly gotten into an argument with the victim and had shot him in the abdomen. Hobbs also allegedly threatened another person with a gun at the scene before officers arrived.
He was initially charged with felony aggravated battery, felony aggravated assault, and felony unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. However, the aggravated battery and assault were dismissed after a discussion between the parties.
JanuaryEight days after the shooting on G Street, the Idaho Falls Police Department was involved in a second shooting involving its officers, this time on 4th Street.
Police were searching for Wyatt Landon , who had run away from another agency earlier in the day but was suspected to be near the 4th Street area.
Just after 3 p.m., officers conducted a traffic stop of a truck on Lee Avenue. Landon, the truck’s passenger, hopped out of the vehicle and ran south on Lee Ave. and west on 4th Street.
On 4th Street, Landon encountered Officer Oscar Rosales, who had parked on 4th Street and ran to the intersection. When they met, Rosales ordered Landon to drop his weapon, but Landon turned around while running and fired one round at Rosales.
Rosales fired multiple rounds at Landon, striking him four times. Police provided medical aid to save Landon’s life, and he was transported to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
No officers were injured during this incident.
FebruaryIn the early hours of Feb. 12, a confrontation between two groups in the parking lot of Compass Academy devolved into a shootout that resulted in the death of a 25-year-old and injured three others. This was 35 days after the shooting of Landon.
Devan Johnson, 26, who was shot during the incident, said the reason they went there was to support a friend’s little brother who had issues with members of the other group.
According to the probable cause affidavit, during the argument, an individual shoved one of the suspects, Gabriel Perkins, and Perkins threw a punch, knocking the individual unconscious.
A video on social media showed another suspect, Taylor Aughenbaugh, pulled a handgun out and fired two rounds, hitting one person in the leg and Johnson in the back.
The affidavit states that Alexander Barber , 25, is shown on video standing over a friend’s body and is shot in the head by Perkins.
In a video provided by Johnson, it shows Johnson on the floor as he was shot again by Perkins in the knee.
Perkins and Aughenbaugh were the first to be charged in the incident. Perkins has been charged with felony second-degree murder, felony destroying or concealing evidence, felony aggravated battery and felony leaving the scene. Perkins also has two felony enhancement charges for the use of a deadly weapon.
Aughenbaugh was charged with felony destroying or concealing evidence and two felony counts of aggravated battery.
Since the incident, there have been two more arrests made in connection with the shooting, with different degrees of charges.
Skylar Daniel Andra, 18, was charged with one felony count of leaving the scene of an accident, which carries the potential punishment of five years in prison.
Aaron David Murdoch, 20, was charged with one felony count of aggravated assault, which is punishable by five years in prison.
Andra, Murdoch, Perkins and Aughenbaugh are scheduled for a pre-trial hearing at 8:30 a.m. July 16 with District Judge Dane Watkins Jr.
MarchOn March 9, 26 days later after the Compass Academy shooting, Idaho Falls Police were called to a home in the 100 block of 4th Street on report of a burglary in progress that turned into a fatal shooting.
When police arrived at the residence, they found two men with gunshot wounds. They were both taken to the hospital, and 51-year-old Eric Leask was pronounced dead.
The same day, after 11 p.m., police located the suspect in the 800 block of Lomax Street at the Teton Mesa Apartments. The suspect, identified as Lance Broncho , barricaded himself in, refusing to come out.
Idaho Falls Police SWAT was called in to evacuate neighbors before tear gas was used to get Broncho out. Broncho exited the apartment around 1 p.m., ending the hours-long standoff.
Broncho has been charged with the following felonies: first-degree murder, aggravated battery, robbery, burglary and unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Two felony enhancements were also charged for the use of a deadly weapon.
First-degree murder is punishable by a minimum of 10 years or life in prison. The death penalty also is a possible punishment.
Broncho is scheduled to appear for a preliminary hearing at 10 a.m. April 23 with Magistrate Judge Brendon Taylor.
AprilOn April 8, 30 days since Broncho allegedly shot and killed Leask, Idaho Falls Police were involved in its second shooting in the year, but its third shooting since December.
IFPD was called to the EconoLodge on Broadway after hotel staff needed assistance trespassing a man who refused to leave his hotel room after checkout.
The man, identified as Robert Flores Jr., has had two other incidents with IFPD that involved SWAT being called to aid in his arrest within the past five months.
Due to this history, IFPD had six officers involved in trespassing Flores. After the police entered the hotel room, they noticed the bathroom door was shut.
When an officer attempted to open the door, Flores fired one round through it.
Three officers escaped the hotel room, and three others were trapped inside. Flores exited the bathroom and fired two more shots at the trapped officers.
The trapped officers fired multiple rounds back at Flores, with Flores sustaining multiple wounds to the abdomen consistent with gunshot wounds.
IFPD evacuated hotel tenants, and SWAT was activated to aid in the arrest of Flores.
One officer was injured during this incident, not from Flores, but confusion by a K-9 officer biting them.
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