Escaped white supremacist inmate and accomplice at large after Idaho hospital ambush
Law enforcement continues their pursuit of a white supremacist Idaho prison inmate and an accomplice who fled following an incident where the accomplice shot and injured corrections officers while they were transporting the inmate from a Boise hospital, as per authorities.
Nicholas Umphenour has been identified as the suspect in the shooting of two corrections officers during Wednesday’s ambush in the ambulance bay at Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center, according to police. A warrant with a $2 million bond has been issued for his arrest on charges of two counts of aggravated battery against law enforcement and one count of aiding and abetting an escape.
Umphenour and inmate Skylar Meade fled the scene early Wednesday following the shooting, driving away in a gray 2020 Honda Civic with Idaho plates. Authorities have yet to determine their current location or intended destination as of Wednesday evening, police reported.
During the assault, three corrections officers sustained gunshot wounds — two reportedly inflicted by Umphenour and one by responding police.
Officials characterized Meade, 31, as a member of a white supremacist gang. In 2017, Meade received a 20-year sentence for firing at a sheriff’s sergeant during a high-speed pursuit.
The attack occurred at 2:15 a.m. as Idaho Department of Correction officers prepared to bring Meade back to prison. Department Director Josh Tewalt said during a news conference Wednesday afternoon that Meade was taken to the hospital at 9:35 p.m. Tuesday after he engaged in “self-injurious behavior” and medical staff determined he needed emergency care.
One police officer injured by the suspect remains in critical yet stable condition, as per police reports. Meanwhile, the second officer wounded in the incident has serious injuries, but they are not life-threatening. Additionally, a third corrections officer sustained injuries that were also not life-threatening. This occurred when a responding officer, mistakenly believing the shooter was still in the emergency room and spotting an armed individual near the entrance discharged their weapon.
The Associated Press quoted Boise Police Chief Ron Winegar in a written statement saying “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.”
Umphenour, standing at 5 feet 11 inches and weighing 160 pounds, is described by police as having brown hair and hazel eyes. Authorities have established that he is connected to Meade as an associate. Despite attempts by The Associated Press to contact Umphenour via social media, they were unsuccessful.
Meade, with a height of 5 feet 6 inches and a weight of 150 pounds, sports facial tattoos bearing the numbers 1 and 11, representing the letters A and K, the first and 11th letters of the alphabet, symbolizing his affiliation with the Aryan Knights gang, according to Tewalt. Police-released photos also reveal A and K tattoos on his abdomen.
The Aryan Knights gang originated in the mid-1990s within the Idaho prison system, aiming to coordinate criminal activities for a specific group of white inmates, as stated by the U.S. attorney’s office in Idaho.
Meade had been confined to administrative segregation, a form of solitary confinement, at the Idaho Maximum Security Institution in Kuna, situated approximately 12 miles south of Boise, due to being deemed a significant security threat, Tewalt explained.
Initially, Tewalt mentioned that Meade was accompanied by two uniformed, unarmed officers wearing ballistic vests during transportation in the ambulance and at the hospital, followed by armed personnel. However, later Correction Department spokesperson Sanda Kuzeta-Cerimagic clarified via email that one officer had been inside the ambulance with Meade, while two officers were in an escort vehicle.
The Associated Press quoted Kuzeta-Cerimagic saying “To the best of our knowledge, Meade was in restraints while being escorted in and out of the hospital,” She said transport procedures are dependent on the custody level of the person being transported but didn’t specify whether the restraints were handcuffs, shackles or another type of restraint.
Authorities also did not say if other security measures were in place when Meade was leaving the hospital.
The attack came amid a wave of gun violence at hospitals and medical centers, which have struggled to adapt to the threats. A Saint Alphonsus spokesperson said the shooting happened in the ambulance bay by its emergency department.
The Associated Press quoted Leticia Ramirez saying “All patients and staff are safe, the medical center campus is safe and secure and has resumed normal operations. The Emergency Department itself is currently under temporary lockdown while the Boise Police Department completes the investigation,”
She said as an added precaution, “We have increased security on campus, all entrances to the hospital will be closed” and monitored by hospital security until further notice.”
When asked about Meade, Ramirez declined to comment deferring to the police department.