Idaho manhunt enters day 2 for escaped violent felon, police ID ambush accomplice, shooter
The manhunt for a dangerous, escaped convict and his alleged accomplice entered day two on Thursday after a brazen ambush and shooting at an Idaho hospital that left three law enforcement officers injured.
Skylar Meade, a violent felon and prisoner, fled Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center after his accomplice opened fire in front of the emergency room early Wednesday morning, as two Idaho Department of Corrections officers prepared to transport Meade back to prison, the Boise Police Department reported.
The hospital is about three miles west of the state capital's downtown area, and less than 50 miles east of the Oregon state line.
On Wednesday night, police identified the suspected shooter as Nicholas Umphenour and said both he and Meade, 31, are considered armed and dangerous. Police said they obtained a warrant for Umphenour’s arrest on charges of aggravated battery against law enforcement and aiding and abetting an escape.
As of Thursday morning, both suspects remained at large, a Boise police spokesperson confirmed to USA TODAY.
Dangerous felon on the run:Idaho prisoner Skylar Meade at large after accomplice ambushed hospital, shot at Boise PD
Who is Skylar Meade?
At the time of his escape, Mead was serving a 20 year prison sentence after being convicted of assault or battery with an enhancement for use of a deadly weapon, IDOC records show. The conviction stemmed from a shooting in 2017 in which he fired several shots at a law enforcement officer as he fled from a traffic stop during a police chase.
Police said Meade has prior convictions including felony possession of a controlled substance, grand theft, and introduction of contraband into a correctional facility. He has been incarcerated since October 2016 and his most recent sentence was set to end in 2036.
Prison officials described Meade as a white male with brown hair and hazel eyes, 5-feet 6-inches tall and weighing 150 pounds. He has tattoos on his arms, chest, calf, abdomen and face.
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Officials described Meade as a white supremacist gang member, The Press Democrat reported.
During a news conference Wednesday IDOC Director Josh Tewalt said Meade was taken to the hospital mid Tuesday morning "after he engaged in self-injurious behavior and medical staff determined he needed emergency care," the outlet reported. Tewalt told reporters Meade's face tattoos include the numbers 1 and 11 − for A and K, the first and 11th letters of the alphabet, representing the Aryan Knights, a gang he is allegedly affiliated with.
Who is Nicholas Umphenour?
Police described Umphenour as being 5-feet 11-inches tall, weight about 160 pounds, with brown hair and hazel eyes. A photo provided by the department shows his head either bald or shaved.
According to detectives, Umphenour is is an associate of Meade, police wrote in a news release. Police did not release Umphenour's age is or say whether he has a local criminal history.
The hospital shooting and escape
In a news release, police wrote, during the 2:15 a.m. melee two officers were struck by gunfire. One of them suffered serious but non-life-threatening injuries and another officer was reportedly taken to a hospital in critical condition.
A third officer was also hit during an exchange of gunfire after Boise police officers arrived at the hospital but officials said that officer suffered non-life threatening injurers.
Their conditions were not immediately known Thursday.
"This brazen, violent, and apparently coordinated attack on Idaho Department of Corrections personnel, to facilitate an escape of a dangerous inmate, was carried out right in front of the emergency department, where people come for medical help, often in the direst circumstances," Boise Police Chief Ron Winegar said in a news release.
The chief said his agency is "monitoring the wounded IDOC officers with great hope for a full and speedy recovery of all involved."
Meade and the accomplice were last seen in a grey, four-door 2020 Honda Civic, police said, with the license plate 2TDF43U.
The Ada County Sheriff's Office, the agency investigating the officer-involved shooting, could not immediately be reached by USA TODAY Thursday.
Anyone with information about the suspects is asked to call 911.
Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X @nataliealund.