TWIN FALLS, Idaho — After an investigation, it was determined that officers acted within department policy after fatally shooting Colton Copeland Foster while trying to arrest him on April 29.
Foster was wanted on felony charges, and police spent more than an hour negotiating with him from the house where he barricaded himself, according to a Facebook post.
Foster later entered the backyard armed with a knife. Officers gave him more than 40 commands to drop the weapon, authorities said. He then climbed over a fence, where a police K-9 attempted to apprehend him and was injured.
He then moved toward the officers while still holding the knife, and the officer fired his weapon.
The Critical Incident Task Force, led by the Cassia County Sheriff’s Office, investigated the shooting. Once the investigation was complete, the evidence was submitted to the Ada County Prosecutor’s Office for an independent review.
It was determined that the officers’ actions were justified, and criminal charges were not filed.
After the prosecutor’s review, the department conducted an internal administrative review and determined that all officers involved acted within department policy.
“With the independent criminal investigation, prosecutorial review, and internal policy review now complete, this matter is considered closed,” according to the post.
