Moscow, Idaho – A sniper sprayed dozens of bullets on a courthouse, killing a police officer and wounding a sheriff’s deputy and a civilian, then apparently killed a caretaker and himself Sunday in a nearby church, police said.
Investigators believe the shooter deliberately fired into an emergency dispatch center at the Latah County Courthouse late Saturday to lure people into the line of fire. The officer was killed as he rushed to the courthouse, and the deputy helped pull the officer out of the way before being shot, said David Duke, Moscow’s assistant police chief.
Shortly after 6 a.m., three SWAT teams entered First Presbyterian Church and found the bodies of the shooter and another man, Duke said. An assault rifle, ammunition and spent shells were found next to the gunman’s corpse, he said.
Authorities did not release either man’s name, but the church’s pastor, the Rev. Norman Fowler, identified the victim as Paul Bauer, a caretaker believed to be in his 60s who lived at the church.
Police said the gunman started shooting from a parking lot across from the courthouse shortly after 11 p.m. Saturday.
Lee Newbill, the first officer at the scene, was hit around 11:35 p.m. Saturday, Duke said. Newbill had served with the police department since March 2001 and is the city’s first officer killed in the line of duty.
Deputy Brannon Jordon, a 17-year veteran, was shot shortly after midnight as he took cover behind a tree after pulling Newbill out of the line of fire, Duke said. Jordon was in serious condition with multiple gunshot wounds, Duke said.
Authorities did not release the name of the injured civilian but said he lived in the neighborhood. The man was undergoing surgery and was in stable condition.
