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The Officer Involved Shooting (OIS) shooting happened in late-December when Randy Ness was shot by police officers. The video below shows multiple angles from police and citizen footage where Ness is seen ramming his vehicle into police officers.
Watch here:
[Warning: Language and Violence]
Kootenai County Prosector Stan Mortensen released his statement today regarding the shooting.
| Police had attempted to stop the reckless driver, but he continued to aggressively ram his car into occupied police vehicles. The Prosecutor said in the letter that Officer Koontz fired the shots in defense of himself and other officers. After the driver backed his pickup truck onto the front of the police car, crushing the hood and collapsing the divers compartment, Officer Koontz began to fear for his life. That’s when he drew his side arm, firing several shots as the driver continued to drive erratically while attached to the police vehicle. Once outside of the police vehicle, Officer Koontz ordered the driver to stop, but he once again began to drive toward oncoming traffic. Fearing for the life of the oncoming traffic, Officer Koontz fired the shots that ended the drivers life. |
Mortensen has deemed the officers were justified with using deadly force, and has cleared the officers of wrongdoing.
