Murder in midtown

Man charged with jacking car possible murder suspect, too

A 37-year-old Coeur d’Alene man suspected in a fatal shooting in midtown Thursday evening and leading police on a high-speed chase is being held in lieu of $1 million bail in the Kootenai County jail.

Daniel V. Stinson is accused of stealing a black Ford Explorer at gunpoint from a Coeur d’Alene man before shooting and killing a man at midtown, then leading Idaho State Police on a high-speed chase that ended around 8 p.m. near Gozzer Road on Highway 97.

Stinson has not been charged in the murder of Noah Y. Peterson, 41, or in the shooting of Jeremy S. Pardue, 49.

Police said Pardue is being treated at Kootenai Health for non-life threatening injuries.

Both men were allegedly shot by Stinson around 7 p.m. at Third Street and Roosevelt Avenue.

The homicide investigation is ongoing, Coeur d’Alene police said.

According to a report, Stinson pistol whipped Timothy Maher Jr. sometime after 5 p.m. on the 2900 block of West Fairway Drive, a neighborhood around Coeur d’Alene Public Golf Course.

Stinson allegedly asked Maher to use his utility vehicle, and when Maher, who said he barely knew Stinson, refused, Stinson pointed a semi-automatic handgun at him, jacked a shell into the chamber and slammed the pistol into Maher’s head, knocking him down.

In addition to stealing Maher’s Explorer, Stinson stole cash from Maher’s pants pockets while he was on the ground, and his cellphone, police reports say. Police tracked and later found the phone dumped near the intersection of Huetter Road and Maplewood Avenue.

Police believe Stinson then drove to the residence at Roosevelt and Third where the shooting occurred.

“The suspect information for the shooter was consistent with the robbery,” Coeur d’Alene Police Sgt. Jared Reneau said in a press release.

Officers found Peterson dead at the scene of the shooting, and by the time police arrived, Pardue had already been transported to Kootenai Health, police said.

Meanwhile, state police chased the Explorer east on Interstate 90, then south on Highway 97 where the SUV veered over the center line and tore down the narrow lakeside highway at speeds over 80 mph, according to reports. Police said shots were fired, and troopers attempted to stop the Explorer using a special vehicle maneuver. The Explorer left the roadway and rolled.

When police detectives arrived at the scene, Stinson was handcuffed but still inside the smashed Explorer, which had rolled onto its top.

An Idaho State Police cruiser had also wrecked, and a patrol sergeant suffered minor injuries, police said.

Idaho State Police Capt. John Kempf said his troopers were “all OK” after the incident.

He said a North Idaho police task force is investigating the state police incident, while Coeur d’Alene police are investigating the homicide and robbery.

Witnesses told police that Stinson has a history of mental illness and that he had threatened to steal a vehicle and pistol whip someone. He had also threatened to kill people, commit suicide, and told witnesses he wanted to commit suicide by cop, according to a report in court records.

An April 30 preliminary hearing has been scheduled.

Detectives are asking anyone who has information regarding this incident to call the Coeur d’Alene Police Department at 208-769-2320.