BOISE, Idaho — About 100 people showed up outside Boise City Hall Friday evening demanding justice and accountability after Boise Police Officer Chance Feldner shot and killed 22-year-old Payton Wasson on June 24.
"Nobody that's supposed to be protecting and serving should have the authority to see somebody running away on the street and shoot him," protestor Gabbie Cruise said.
Protestors chanted "Payton Wasson deserved to live" and held up various signs reading "justice for Payton" and "fleeing should not be a death sentence."
During a news conference Friday afternoon, Boise Police Chief Ron Winegar called the situation tragic for everyone involved.
"It is never a good day for anyone when you have to tell a mother or a father or a brother or a sister that their loved one is deceased," Winegar said.
Here's a timeline of events:
At about 1 a.m. June 24 near 5th and Idaho streets, Boise Police officers investigated "a situation involving individuals and a vehicle involved in what officers believed were gang activity and/or narcotic sales."
Officers identified the owner of the car as Mario Garza, who was on parole. It is unclear what happened between 1 and 2 a.m., but Winegar said Garza came back to his car more than hour later with Wasson and another person.
Garza was eventually arrested after police found fentanyl pills on him. During his arraignment on Monday, prosecutors said Wasson and that other person left the car with a backpack and a gun shortly after they returned.
Officers then started chasing Wasson. Winegar said they asked him to stop and drop the gun, which he ignored. Shortly after, Feldner shot Wasson in the head.
The Ada County Critical Incident Taskforce is investigating the shooting and why Feldner might have made that decision. Winegar would not say whether Feldner could have handled the situation differently.
"It's very early for me to be able to comment on whether processes and policies were followed or not," Winegar said. "We need to let the process take its course, while at the same time recognizing that there is a family grieving during this process."
Protestors had a list of demands, including having the police union pay for Wasson's funeral and hospital bills. They also want a civilian police oversight board with subpoena power.
"It's messed up," protestor Mackenzie Leiterman said. "People shouldn't determine who lives and who dies."
KTVB asked for body camera video from June 24, although Winegar said they are not releasing it right now because of the Critical Incident Task's investigation and BPD's internal investigation.
Feldner is on paid administrative leave.
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