Report: Cops' actions 'clearly lawful'

Eight Coeur d’Alene police officers were formally cleared of any wrongdoing this week in the shooting last summer of 18-year-old Tyler Rambo. Police say Rambo pointed a gun at them after an altercation in City Park.

Bonner County Prosecuting Attorney Louis E. Marshall said criminal charges against the officers were not warranted.

Marshall is the outside prosecutor who reviewed the results of an Idaho State Police investigation into the shooting.

“In the matter at hand, the officers’ actions in this case were clearly lawful,” Marshall wrote in a letter received this week by Coeur d’Alene police.

The eight officers were initially on paid leave after the shooting, and were later cleared administratively while state police investigated the incident.

Rambo had his legs amputated as a result of being shot 14 times by police after he had attempted to shoot another person at Independence Point following the Fourth of July fireworks show, police said.

Officers said they responded that evening to a gunshot and followed Rambo west toward the park’s basketball courts while repeatedly asking him to drop his .357 revolver.

Officers shot a taser at Rambo, who pointed the gun at police and fired a shot, according to police. The eight officers at the scene shot Rambo, disabling him before providing him with medical attention as EMTs arrived.

Chief of Police Lee White said last summer the officers returned to duty after they were cleared by an internal investigation.

“All of their actions were consistent with our policies and training,” White said.

In his letter to Kootenai County Prosecutor Barry McHugh and Idaho State Police detectives who investigated the case, Marshall said the actions of the officers were justified as a means to ensure public safety.

“There were literally thousands of people gathering their belongings and moving to exit the park,” Marshall wrote. “In the midst of this chaos, a report came in that there was a single shot fired which caused many in the crowd to run in various directions.”

When officers commanded Rambo to throw down the firearm, “he raised the firearm lowered it and continued to slowly walk around and turn … at this point there were not only numerous officers in the close vicinity, there were also innocent civilians who could have easily been shot by any discharge from Mr. Rambo’s handgun.”

One of the officers, Casey Ziegler, holstered his sidearm and switched to taser “due to the potential collateral damage from any gunshots.”

Rambo was shot with a taser in the torso, then raised his gun and shot it once in the direction of police and bystanders, police said.

“Numerous officers returned fire until it was clear Mr. Rambo was no longer a threat,” Marshall wrote.

He added that Rambo presented a “clear and present danger not only to the law enforcement officers … but also to the general public.”

The letter clears Coeur d’Alene Police officers Justin Bangs, Jacob Brazle, Kyle Cannon, Matthew Edward, Ryan Germain, Nathan Herbig, Jacob Proctor and Ziegler.

Rambo was recently indicted by a grand jury and charged with eight felonies of assault of police, in addition to facing an attempted second degree murder charge and aggravated assault.

A March jury trial has been set in Coeur d’Alene’s Second District Court, and Rambo’s attorney, Rick Baughman has filed a tort claim seeking $9 million from the city on his client’s behalf.