Sacramento native shot dead by police in Idaho backyard was mistaken for pursuit suspect
A man shot and killed by police earlier this week in his own backyard in Idaho, whom authorities say they mistook for a fleeing suspect, was a Sacramento native.
The Idaho Falls Police Department announced the fatal shooting Monday in a news release and news conference with the police chief, saying officers and Bonneville County sheriff’s deputies were pursuing a man with multiple outstanding warrants who had fled a traffic stop early that morning.
Law enforcement identified the suspect as Tanner Shoesmith, whom was reported to be wearing a black shirt and believed to be armed. Police determined Shoesmith was hiding in a residential backyard.
Officers found a man in a black shirt in a backyard in the area, “armed with a firearm.” A police officer fired one shot, which struck the man, and he was pronounced dead at the scene.
But the man killed was not Shoesmith.
“Ultimately, officers and deputies determined that the man that had been shot was not the suspect male but was actually the resident of that address,” the news release said.
Shoesmith was found minutes later hiding in the shed of a different backyard nearby and arrested, according to the police news release.
Family members identified the dead bystander as Joseph Johnson, telling news outlets that Johnson, his wife and their four children had moved to Idaho from California a few years ago.
The Sacramento Bee confirmed via public records that Johnson previously lived in Sacramento and in nearby Citrus Heights for at least 15 years before moving to Idaho Falls.
East Idaho News reported that extended family confirmed Johnson’s identity, while immediate family mourned his loss and asked for privacy. As of Wednesday, the name of the officer who fatally shot him has not been released, East Idaho News reported.
One relative, Rachel Williams, told The Daily Beast that Johnson moved to Idaho in 2016, and that the Idaho Falls community is “broken-hearted, and hurting so much for his wife and children.”
Law enforcement officials have not officially confirmed the man’s identity, but The Daily Beast reported Johnson was the property owner of the residence where the shooting occurred.
“He moved his family to Idaho for a better life,” a GoFundMe fundraising page set up by Joseph’s father, Charles Johnson, reads. “A native of Sacramento ... They were so happy.”
Idaho Falls Police Chief Bryce Johnson said body camera footage captured the incident but will likely not be released until the shooting is further investigated, the Post Register reported. The shooting will be investigated by the Eastern Idaho Critical Incident Task Force and the Idaho State police.
“As we define integrity, it means being honest and truthful at all times, even when the truths we have to tell may be difficult,” Bryce Johnson said during a Monday news conference, according to East Idaho News. “Today, the truths we have to share with the community are difficult and incredibly tragic.”
The Post Register reported Tuesday that arresting officers did not locate a weapon on Shoesmith, though a witness had told officers he was armed, according to a department spokesperson.
Shoesmith had been arrested in 2019 after reportedly striking an officer multiple times, cutting his lip and injuring his eye, according to the Post Register.
This story was originally published February 10, 2021 at 2:10 PM.
