BOISE, Idaho — A Boise man is going to prison for a road rage incident and shooting a musician in the leg outside a music venue in September 2021.
Ada County District Court Judge Cynthia Yee-Wallace on Tuesday sentenced Ethan Byrd, now 28 years old, to up to 30 years in prison with seven years fixed for aggravated assault, aggravated battery, use of a deadly weapon in commission of a felony and carrying a concealed weapon while under the influence. Byrd was convicted by a jury in August 2022 for the aggravated battery and weapons charges. After that trial, he pleaded guilty to aggravated assault.
Byrd was arrested Sept. 5 after two incidents that occurred within a half-hour of each other outside The Shredder, a concert venue located along South 10th Street between Myrtle and Miller streets.
Law enforcement had received reports that Byrd was swerving his car at another person's car and made gestures as if he had a gun. The victims reported seeing a gun. Byrd was charged with and later pleaded guilty to aggravated assault for threatening those victims.
In the second incident, a Boise Police patrol officer saw a man, later identified as Byrd, yelling to other people outside The Shredder. Darin Wall, bass player for the Seattle-based band Greyhawk, was shot in the leg during a struggle between him and Byrd.
Wall, who was treated at the hospital for non-life-threatening injuries, later told KTVB that when he saw Byrd get a gun out of his car and come back toward him, Wall kicked Byrd on the inside of his leg and the two began to wrestle.
"I saw him reach behind his back and grab the gun. That's when I moved in," Wall recalled. "No other options went through my head... The gun was in the pocket of his pants, and he shot me through his pants, and got me in the upper thigh."
Byrd was arrested within minutes of the incident.
After Tuesday's sentencing, Ada County Prosecutor Jan Bennetts said, in a written statement, that "without the watchful eye and brave actions of the victim, this shooting could have turned out very differently."
"(Wall's) heroic actions no doubt saved lives and prevented others from being injured," Bennetts' statement continued. "We are grateful to the victim for his courage and for the Boise Police Patrol Officers' quick response at the scene. I also want to thank the Boise Police Detectives for their thorough investigation."
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