Three people were injured Friday afternoon when a gunman opened fire inside a sheriff’s office in northern Idaho before being killed in a shootout with law enforcement, authorities said. According to the Idaho Statesman, the suspect first fired shots outside a hardware store in downtown Wallace, then entered the county building that houses courtrooms and the Shoshone County Sheriff’s Office. Officers confronted the man in the lobby, where an exchange of gunfire ended with the suspect’s death, KXLY reported.
Two bystanders who were sitting in a truck outside the building were shot in the leg and taken to a hospital. A dispatcher working in the lobby was also hospitalized after a bullet grazed their ear, Sheriff William Eddy said. Eight law enforcement agencies responded to the scene, including officers from Washington and Montana. Officials said early reports suggesting the suspect may have accessed the jail led to an expanded response. Wallace is located about 70 miles east of Spokane. Authorities have not yet released the suspect’s identity or a possible motive.