Shootout In Idaho Town..2 Officers, 2 Civilians Down

MOSCOW, Idaho (AP) - Two law enforcement officers and two civilians were wounded and police said they believed they had the shooter cornered in a church early Sunday morning. Police declined to release the condition of the people who had been shot, and few details were immediately available.

David Duke, Moscow assistant police chief, said a city police officer and a Latah County sheriff's deputy were shot late Saturday night or early Sunday morning near downtown.

Two civilians were also shot.

Duke said the victims were shot with automatic weapons.

Dozens of law enforcement officers surrounded the First Presbyterian Church in downtown Moscow, where the shooter or shooters are believed to be, Duke said.

The incident began around 11 p.m. Saturday, when someone began shooting at the Latah County Courthouse, Duke said.

Streets in the area have been barricaded and residents have been told to stay inside their homes.

Moscow, a community of about 20,000 people that is home to the University of Idaho, located 80 miles south of Spokane, Wash.

Reports say at least 75 shots have been fired. About 40 shots hit the Latah County Dispatch center which is near the church. Last shots from church at about 8 am eastern daylight time. Units deployed around scene of area with a five block area of downtown Moscow ordered in lockdown.

Last report indicate shots may have come from bell tower of the church. Updated info. confirms one civilian and two officers hit and brought to hospital. One officer very seriously injured at least.

Officers have entered the church and have found two unidentified dead persons inside. It has been secured as a crime scene and further info. will be delayed. The police say the second civilian injured was from a separate incident, unrelated to this shooting. Witnesses say one of the police officers hit by bullets was killed.

That officer lay on the street 20 minutes until help could get to him during the initial barrage of gunfire. Reports say the church was also the residence of a caretaker who is presently not accounted for. Authorities are referring to the second body in the church as that of a "victim." It is not confirmed that this is the caretaker.

Updates:

2 dead in church after Idaho shootings

12 minutes ago



MOSCOW, Idaho - Law enforcement officers stormed a church where they believed a shooter or shooters were hiding on Sunday, finding two bodies inside, police said.
The dead included the likely shooter who had wounded two officers and a civilian with bursts of automatic gunfire late Saturday or early Sunday, police said.
About 75 shots were fired in the attack, said David Duke, Moscow's assistant police chief. Duke said the attack was apparently an ambush, with the shooter firing into the Latah County Courthouse to lure people into the line of fire.
A Moscow police officer was shot first, followed by a Latah County sheriff's deputy who came to his aid. A civilian was struck after that, Duke said.
This is a breaking news update. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.
MOSCOW, Idaho (AP) — Dozens of law enforcement officers surrounded a church Sunday where they believed they had cornered a shooter or shooters who wounded two officers and a civilian in bursts of automatic gunfire, police said.
About 75 shots were fired in the attack late Saturday, said David Duke, Moscow's assistant police chief. Duke said the attack was apparently an ambush, with the shooter firing into the Latah County Courthouse to lure people into the line of fire.
"Whoever the shooter is wanted to draw people to the courthouse," Duke said. "When officers responded, he did open fire on them."
A Moscow police officer was shot first, followed by a Latah County sheriff's deputy who came to his aid. A civilian was struck after that, Duke said.
Police do not believe the shooter had a specific target in mind, Duke said.
"He was just shooting at anybody he could," Duke said. "We believe the shots were from a high area, based on where the victims were shot."
Police declined to release the condition of the people who had been shot, and few details were immediately available.
Duke said the victims were shot with automatic weapons fire.
Police initially said two civilians had been shot, but corrected that after learning that one civilian had been injured elsewhere.
Officers surrounded the First Presbyterian Church, which is near the courthouse and nestled in a heavily residential neighborhood near downtown and Moscow High School. Duke said they were preparing a plan for ending the standoff.
Streets in the area have been barricaded and residents have been told to stay inside their homes. Many residents told news media that they heard the hail of bullets, and some said they witnessed the shooting of the officers.
A caretaker lives in the church, but Duke said police have had no contact with that person since the incident started.

The incident began around 11 p.m. Saturday, when someone began shooting at the courthouse, Duke said. The courthouse, which includes the sheriff's office, was evacuated, Duke said.
More than 30 shots were fired into the sheriff's dispatch center, but no one was injured, he said.
The final shot from inside the church was heard about 1 a.m., Duke said.
Officers have had no contact with the person in the church, he said.
Moscow, a community of about 20,000 people that is home to the University of Idaho, is located 80 miles south of Spokane, Wash. The wounded were taken to Gritman Medical Center in Moscow.

http://fe54.news.sp1.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070520/ap_on_re_us/idaho_shootings;_ylt=AnT3aZljJjYE7Xzjuh5cR2.s0NUE


Night time Pictures from the scene

Day time photos of SWAT team




http://www.ktvb.com/news/localnews/stories/ktvb_052007_churchsniper.89192686.html
DETAILS: Police talk to KREM 2 NEWS about what has happened

One Officer Dead, Another Serious In Idaho Ambush

It has been confirmed that a 7-year veteran member of the Moscow Idaho Police Department was killed in this incident. He lay in the street over 30 minutes before other officers were able to reach him. The shooter, unidentified, was found dead inside the church after tactical teams forced their way inside. Another body, believed to be a civilian victim, was also found inside. Two other victims outside the building, another law enforcement officer and a civilian are being treated for gunshot wounds. The dispatchers at the county communications center, fled the center as more than 30 shots peppered the county court house. The police currently say no officers fired weapons during the seige as they had no clear target.
Law officers from two states poured into the town by roadway and aircraft as the scene unfolded. Police say the shooter fired from two positions, first an outside location and then from inside the church. One weapon, an SKS Assauilt rifle, and several magazines were recovered.The dead officer is identified as Lee Newville. Police say Deputy Sheriff Brannon Jordan is is serious condition with multiple gunshot wounds. Police describe the shooting as an "ambush" on the county sheriff's office.

Shooter Identified, Wife Dead At Home

Moscow police say the shooter involved in an ambush on law enforcement at the Latah County Courthouse was Jason Hamilton.

Police also say they found Hamilton's wife, 30 year-old Crystal Hamilton, dead inside their home. Crystal was a janitor at the Latah County Courthouse.
Police also revealed that Jason died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head inside the First Presbyterian Church across the street from the Latah County Courthouse.
Jason Hamilton was armed with 2 guns, an M-1 that was found in the parkinglot of the Latah County Courhouse, and an AK-47 that was found next to his body.
Police claim both were legally obtained despite a long history of violence

Idaho Shooting Suspect Spoke of Killing Many Others During Suicide Mission

Tuesday, May 22, 2007



MOSCOW, Idaho — A gunman suspected of killing three people and himself said during a court-ordered mental evaluation that if he committed suicide, he would try to take a large number of people with him, police said Monday.
Three months after that conversation, authorities say, Jason Hamilton shot and killed his wife at their home, then drove downtown with two assault rifles and fired a barrage of bullets into an emergency dispatch center inside a courthouse and a parking lot outside.
A police officer rushing to the scene late Saturday was killed, and two officers and a civilian who tried to help were wounded. Investigators said Hamilton, 36, also killed sexton Paul Bauer, 62, in an office of the nearby the nearby First Presbyterian Church early Sunday as 911 dispatchers on the phone with Bauer heard the shots.
Officers who stormed the church hours later found a rifle and ammunition next to Hamilton's body in the sanctuary.
Hamilton had a history of violence, and a judge ordered him evaluated after he tried to kill himself in February by overdosing on anti-anxiety medication. Hamilton told a hospital worker that if he really wanted to commit suicide, he would do it through a mass shooting or bombing, Assistant Police Chief David Duke said.
Hamilton was judged not to need involuntary commitment and was released, Duke said.
Hamilton was arrested on a felony strangulation charge in September 2005 in a case involving a girlfriend he had while separated from his wife. Hamilton was convicted of misdemeanor domestic battery of the girlfriend, who survived, and was sentenced to 180 days in jail, with 90 days suspended, Duke said.
Hamilton was in court again last Tuesday for violating the conditions of his probation on the domestic violence conviction by halting his mental health counseling, but the case was delayed until next month, Duke said.
Hamilton knew Bauer, who lived at the church, from his job cleaning First Presbyterian for a private maintenance service, Duke said.
Hamilton's wife, 30-year-old Crystal Hamilton, was a janitor at the courthouse, authorities said. Her body, with a gunshot wound to the head, was found Sunday at the couple's home, Latah County Sheriff Wayne Rausch said.
Police found 125 shell casings from two types of assault rifles at the courthouse and the church, Duke said. Officers did not return fire, he said.
Lee Newbill, the first officer at the scene, had served with the police department since March 2001 and is the city's first officer killed in the line of duty.
Deputy Brannon Jordan, a 17-year veteran, was shot multiple times as he took cover behind a tree after pulling Newbill out of the line of fire, Duke said. Jordan was released from the hospital Monday, Rausch said.
The injured civilian was identified Monday by his mother as Pete Husmann, 20, a senior UI mechanical engineering student from Coeur d'Alene. She said he was shot three times as he rushed from his apartment with a pistol to render aid after hearing the gunshots. He was in serious but stable condition and was to undergo another surgery Monday, she said.
Moscow, home of the University of Idaho, is located 80 miles south of Spokane, Wash., and surrounded by vast farmland. Graduation ceremonies at the university were just a week ago.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,274575,00.html