BOISE, Idaho — The family of Macey Juker, a man who was fatally shot by half a dozen Boise Police officers in 2023, has filed a lawsuit against the police department, claiming that excessive force was used.
On July 26, 2023, Boise Police were dispatched to a situation involving an armed, suicidal individual. According to a report of the events from the Gem County Prosecuting Attorney, Juker placed a call to 911 and told dispatch that he was drunk, had purchased heroin, was suicidal, and had an assault rifle in his possession.
Law enforcement made their way to the area and located Jecker, who was holding the rifle. Juker initially complied with officers' commands to put down the weapon, according to the report, but he then ran away, grabbed the rifle, and took aim at the officers.
The report says that both the officers and Juker then opened fire — Juker was hit and fell to the ground, but reportedly raised his rifle again, at which point officers fired additional rounds. Juker was pronounced dead on the scene.
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Lawsuit alleges "unreasonable use of force" by officers
The lawsuit, filed on June 20, alleges that police used "undue and unreasonable force" in the situation, leading to Juker being “wrongfully, gravely and horrifically killed."
Defendants in the lawsuit include BPD officers Chase Fiddler, Jason Pietrzak, Ryan Pollard, Kirk Rush, Craig Sousa, Dominick Rogers, and Johnathan Howarth, as well as the City of Boise, the Boise Police Department, and Boise Police Chief Ron Winegar. Also listed as defendants are two John/Jane Does — two additional officers who were allegedly on scene but have not been identified.
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The lawsuit states that when Juker called 911, he reported that there were people who he couldn't see trying to get into his home to kill him, adding that "radiation was melting his brain."
Family questions why Juker wasn't taken into custody sooner
In addition to excessive use of force, the lawsuit states that Juker should have been taken into custody as soon as he complied and stepped away from his weapon.
"Properly-trained officers would not delay an opportunity to take a complaint suspect, on his knees, with his hands in the air and far away from his firearm into custody," the lawsuit states.
Multiple officers on scene said in interviews following the incident that they didn't detain Juker sooner because they were unsure whether or not he had additional weapons.
