VIDEO: Officers Forced Into Gunfight At 50 Yards Without Rifle Or Cover – Take Shooter Out

Boise police were forced into a gunfight from 50 yards without a rifle.

Gunman Had Shot Dog On The Trails And Was Threatening Others

Boise, ID – Boise Police officers were justified in the March 17 fatal shooting of a man, according to Blaine County Prosecutor Jim Thomas. (Shooting video below)

Thomas said the six officers involved in the shooting acted in conformity with their training and experience when they shot Benjamin Barnes in the Boise Foothills, according to the Idaho Statesman.

Barnes, 42, was shot after he threatened several people and their dog and shot and killed one family’s dog.

“The officers utilized lawful legal force in reaction to a deadly threat when Benjamin Barnes pointed a semi-automatic handgun at them and discharged several rounds towards the officers after officers gave verbal commands to come out of the bushes and show his hands,” said Thomas in a news release from Boise PD.

“The video and photography evidence depict the crime scene area at the time of the incident as being on an open hillside with sage brush, small trees and ground vegetation. The officers were essentially without protective cover when Barnes began shooting at them while being approximately 50 yards away.”

“The actions of the Boise police officers in shooting Benjamin C. Barnes were completely justified in order to neutralize the lethal threat that he (Barnes) presented to not only the police officers but to citizens who may have unwittingly come upon the scene,” Thomas added.

Witnesses said that Barnes was threatening people on the trails and had a gun.

The Idaho Statesman said the Foothills were packed with bikers, hikers and people walking their dogs. One witness said there was also two girls on a high school girls track team out running.

The video shows police yelling at the man to show them his hands and then the shooting begins.

“He’s shooting at us!” an officer yells into the radio. “I need a rifle up here as quick as anyone can get here.”

Watch the video here.