A 28-year-old suspect was arrested Sunday in connection to a drive-by shooting on Pocatello’s west bench that left a man wounded, police say.
Shawn Michael Lee Thompson, of Chubbuck, has been charged with one felony count of aggravated battery following the incident, which began to unfold around 9:15 a.m. Sunday.
Pocatello police were dispatched to a home on the 800 block of Highland Boulevard after a woman called to report that Thompson stole a gun from her adult son, shot him and stole her Dodge Durango, according to police and court records the Idaho State Journal obtained on Monday.
Upon arrival, officers came into contact with the victim, who said that he had been shot in the face on the right side of the bridge of his nose with a .22-caliber bird shot round and with a .22-caliber slug in the back of his right calf, police said.
Officers inspected the man’s injuries and noted that he had a small red puncture wound on the bridge of his nose and a long mark on the back of his calf consistent with a grazing wound from ammunition, the report says.
The victim told officers that he was in possession of a firearm, a .22-caliber pistol, that he was in the process of purchasing from Thompson for $200, according to police.
The victim said that he went to use the restroom and that when he came back Thompson was wearing his black body armor as he pointed the gun at the victim and fled the home on foot before entering a white pickup truck with another adult male, police said.
A short while later, Thompson returned to the home with the same adult male and the victim observed the other male enter his mother’s Dodge Durango, said police, adding that when the victim ran outside to confront the adult male Thompson fired approximately three rounds at him from the passenger side of the white pickup truck.
The last thing the victim saw was his mother’s Dodge Durango and the white pickup truck fleeing the area while heading west on Highland Boulevard, the report says.
Officers canvassed the area and were able to obtain security video footage that showed Thompson shooting at the victim from the passenger side of the white pickup truck, police said.
Bannock County Sheriff’s Office deputies located Thompson driving the Dodge Durango that was reported stolen in the area of Main Street and South Sixth West in Lava Hot Springs later on Sunday, the report says. A .22-caliber magazine was found on Thompson’s person when he was taken into custody, police said.
After being interviewed at the Pocatello police station, Thompson was charged, arrested and booked inside the Bannock County Jail in Pocatello.
The other adult male involved in the incident was not charged and is not considered a person of interest in this matter, police told the Idaho State Journal on Monday.
Thompson appeared in front of 6th District Magistrate Judge David Hooste for an arraignment hearing on Monday, during which prosecutors requested that his bond be set at $50,000.
He is due back in court for a preliminary hearing on Aug. 19, during which prosecutors will attempt to prove there is enough evidence against him to elevate the case from the magistrate to district court level for trial.
If convicted of the felony aggravated battery charge, Thompson faces up to 15 years in prison and a fine of up to $50,000.
Prosecutors have also filed a felony enhancement against Thompson for using a firearm during the commission of a felony crime, which could extend any prison sentence levied against him by up to 15 years.
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