VIDEO: One suspect shot in Wallace standoff

Editor's note: Some of the photos and video accompanying this article may be considered graphic and not appropriate for all readers.

WALLACE – A Wallace man was shot by law enforcement Tuesday afternoon following a prolonged standoff with officials.

According to witnesses, the incident began around 2 p.m. when the suspect, identified as Esten Smykal of Wallace, began acting erratically and threatening people outside on King Street in Wallace.

The first shots fired by Smykal were at a truck reportedly owned by his parents who live nearby. The suspect then entered a nearby purple car that was parked on the road, reloaded, and proceeded to fire at a passing Idaho Department of Lands truck that was traveling south on King St. toward the St. Joe region.

Smykal then reportedly entered the vehicle and reloaded a second time. It was during this second reloading period that deputies with the Shoshone County Sheriff's Office, including Sheriff Gunderson himself, arrived on-scene.

“He’s got some balls for sure. He just walked right up the road with that guy pointing a gun at him.” the witness said of Gunderson. “He was very patient with the guy and gave him way more chances than I would have to put the gun down.”

For approximately 15-20 minutes, Sheriff Gunderson attempted to negotiate with Smykal in the middle of the street- urging him to drop the two handguns that he was holding.

One witness stated that one exchange between the two had Smykal telling Gunderson that he “had him in his sights,” and the Sheriff responded with, “I know, I just want to talk.”

The shooter allegedly attempted to bargain with the police and asked them to set their weapons down and allow him to go inside and kiss his girlfriend and his dog goodbye and then he would surrender peacefully.

It is unclear at this time what precipitated law enforcement to finally fire on Smykal, but witnesses told the News-Press that he ignored numerous warnings to drop his weapons and repeatedly pointed them at the deputies while shouting threats.

Once Smykal's aggression had ceased, medical crews with Shoshone County Fire District No. 1 arrived and transported him away for treatment. It is unknown at this time how serious Smykal's injuries are or how many times he was shot.

The home that the suspect was allegedly coming from has a recent reputation in the neighborhood as a haven for drug users and neighbors weren’t entirely surprised when they realized who was involved. Witnesses also stated that Smykal's behavior was erratic and he was even seen drinking from something during the incident.

This is a developing story and more information will be released when it becomes available.