CALDWELL, Idaho — All three of the individuals that were charged in the Oct. 16, 2021, shooting outside of a Bi-Mart in Caldwell have now been sentenced as of Thursday, according to the Caldwell Police Department (CPD).
Blain Imholt and Jennifer Nickerson had previously been sentenced for their part in the crime, but Nicholas Riley was only recently sentenced Thursday. All three of the suspects accepted plea deals and had previous felony convictions related to drug charges, burglary, and violent crimes.
"These three individuals caused panic and terror in our city. They showed a blatant disregard to the lives of innocent people, some of which included children, on the day of the shooting," said Caldwell Police Chief Rex Ingram. "Caldwell Police do not take these crimes lightly and will investigate them to the fullest extent."
The shooting happened on Oct. 16, 2021, in the parking lot of the Bi-Mart on 10th Avenue. The victim, a 23-year-old Caldwell man, was inside a car when the shooting began and tried to drive away, but crashed into nearby parked vehicles.
The man was hit several times by bullets and was taken to a local hospital. He survived the attack.
Following an extensive investigation, Caldwell Police announced on Nov. 8, 2021, that 23-year-old Blain Imholt of Boise, 24-year-old Nicolas Riley of Nampa and 37-year-old Jennifer Nickerson of Caldwell had been arrested in the shooting and attempted homicide.
Riley was charged with two counts of aggravated assault, one count of aggravated battery, unlawful discharge of a firearm into an occupied vehicle, unlawful possession of a firearm as a felon and a persistent violator enhancement. He plead guilty to aggravated battery and was sentenced to five years fixed and ten years indeterminate, and will be served consecutively with the remainder of his parole, which ends May of 2023.
Imholt was charged with attempted first-degree murder, aggravated assault, use of a firearm in the commission of a felony and discharge of a firearm into an occupied vehicle. He plead guilty to aggravated assault and unlawful discharge of a firearm into a vehicle and received a sentence of three years fixed, with seven years indeterminate.
Nickerson was charged with aiding and abetting attempted first-degree murder, and pleaded guilty to the charges; she received a sentence of two years fixed with three years indeterminate, which is concurrent with other criminal cases she was convicted of.
According to CPD, the investigation showed Imholt had used a Facebook account of someone incarcerated at the time to message the victim and lure him to the Bi-Mart parking lot in order to exchange an "envelope".
Once the victim arrived, Imholt and Riley approached the vehicle and Riley went to the driver's side and a fight broke out between the victim and Riley. According to CPD, Riley then pulled a gun out and shot at the victim while Imholt shot at the victim from behind the vehicle; the victim had a knife and stabbed Riley in the chest in self-defense.
The victim was hit by a bullet in their left arm, which exited his chest, and was grazed on the chin from another bullet. While the victim was being shot at, he tried to drive away but crashed into several parked cars in the lot. The victim survived their injuries.
Imholt and Riley left the scene, still armed with firearms, to a small Nissan truck driven by Nickerson. The three suspects quickly drove away and returned to a house in Caldwell to dispose of any evidence, according to police.
CPD worked in conjunction with multiple agencies during the investigation, including the Canyon County Sherriff's Office, District 3 and District 4 IDOC Probation and Parole, Oregon State Police, Meridian Police Department, Ada County Sheriff's Office and Garden City Police Department.
CPD also expressed gratitude to the Caldwell community for their assistance with the case, saying "It isn't easy being a witness to violent crime, but witness testimonies and cooperation were vital for leads in this case."
"This was a long, thorough, and complicated investigation. I give kudos to our officers and detectives who worked tirelessly on this case to keep the community safe," Chief Ingram said.
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