COEUR D’ALENE, Idaho – Coeur d’Alene Police Chief Lee White released body camera footage from February 27, the night of a fatal officer involved shooting.
On that evening, police stopped a car a known felon was traveling in. As officers went to arrest him, he opened fire. He was shot and killed. One of those officers was shot in the abdomen but survived and is already back on duty. The Coeur d'Alene officers who shot at Ware were cleared of any charges. White said his officers did everything by the book.
Body camera footage shows a snowy night in February when officers pulled over a car where Curtis Ware was a passenger. He was a felon and had multiple prior arrests. Video shows one Coeur d'Alene officer preparing to arrest Ware on a warrant. But as he gets ready to put him in cuffs, Ware starts shooting.
"Ah, I'm hit! I'm hit," said Officer Charles Hatley in the video.
The video shows Hately returning fire in an attempt to stop the suspect after getting hit.
In sharing the video Monday, White praised the actions of the officers. He noted Officer Taylor Beach attended to the injured officer, all while maintaining a lookout for the suspect.
"And then afterwards, exposed herself to the danger that was still posed by Mr. Ware. They had no idea of his whereabouts and frankly were expecting another attack from Mr. Ware," White said.
Ware was later found dead behind a nearby building. Remarkably, both officers Beach and Hatley are back on duty. A testament, the department would likely say, to their bravery and their commitment to Coeur d'Alene.
"I'm extremely proud of the way our officers responded during this incident. They were presented with a sudden and unprovoked attack and they literally responded the way that officers are trained," White said.
All of the officers involved in that shooting received awards related to their bravery. Two received department Medals of Honor and Hatley received a Purple Heart. Chief White said he has submitted officer Beach's actions for a national Medal of Valor.