Shooter in Moscow, ID attacks Cops & Courthouse from a church.

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Police: Cop Shooting Suspect Cornered in Idaho Church After Injuring 3
Sunday , May 20, 2007

Moscow, Idaho—

Two law enforcement officers and one civilian were wounded in an ambush-style hail of automatic weapons fire and police said early Sunday they believed they had the shooter cornered in a church.



About 75 shots were fired in the attack and law enforcement officers surrounded the nearby First Presbyterian Church, where they believed the shooter or shooters are still inside, said David Duke, Moscow's assistant police chief.

Duke said the attack was apparently an ambush, with the shooter firing into the Latah County Courthouse to lure people into the line of fire.

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"Whoever the shooter is wanted to draw people to the courthouse," Duke said. "When officers responded, he did open fire on them."

A Moscow police officer was shot first, followed by a Latah County sheriff's deputy who came to his aid. A civilian was struck after that, Duke said.

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Police declined to release the condition of the people who had been shot, and few details were immediately available.

Duke said the victims were shot with automatic weapons fire.

Police initially said two civilians had been shot, but corrected that after learning that one civilian was injured elsewhere.

Dozens of law enforcement officers surrounded the church, which is nestled in a heavily residential neighborhood near downtown and Moscow High School.

The incident began around 11 p.m. Saturday, when someone began shooting at the courthouse, Duke said. The courthouse, which includes the sheriff's office, was evacuated, Duke said. More than 30 shots were fired into the sheriff's dispatch center, but no one was injured, Duke said.

The final shot from inside the church was heard about 1 a.m., Duke said.

Officers have had no contact with the person in the church, he said.

Streets in the area have been barricaded and residents have been told to stay inside their homes. Many residents told news media that they heard the hail of bullets, and some said they witnessed the shooting of the officers.

Moscow, a community of about 20,000 people that is home to the University of Idaho, is located 80 miles south of Spokane, Wash.

The wounded people were taken to Gritman Medical Center in Moscow.

Law enforcement officers from throughout the area converged on the scene, including heavily armed SWAT officers. Duke said they were preparing a plan for ending the standoff.

The two officers were shot after they left their vehicles, Duke said.

Police do not believe the shooter had a specific target in mind, Duke said.

"He was just shooting at anybody he could," Duke said. "We believe the shots were from a high area, based on where the victims were shot."

A caretaker lives in the church, but Duke said police have had no contact with that person since the incident started.

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The asst. chief said it was an "automatic or semi-automatic" rifle. Didn't confirm one or the other.

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MOSCOW -- Jason Hamilton, the gunman who killed three people and wounded two others before taking his own life in Moscow over the weekend, had a violent history and once told a psychiatrist if he were to commit suicide he would take a large number of people with him.

Moscow Assistant Police Chief David Duke said Monday morning that Hamilton, 36, had a long criminal history and had undergone a court-ordered mental evaluation in February in Lewiston. During that evaluation Hamilton talked about his thoughts on homicide and suicide and said that if he did commit suicide, he would try and take a large number of people with him.

Authorities confirmed Monday that in addition to the victims previously identified that Hamilton also killed his wife Crystal, 30, with a single gunshot wound to the head. She was found at home by law enforcement personnel Sunday morning.

Crystal Hamilton was an employee with Latah County, where she worked with the janitorial department and was the primary janitor for the Latah County Courthouse.

After Hamilton killed his wife he moved to downtown Moscow, armed with an AK-47 and a Springfield M1A rifle. Early reports claimed that he had been armed with an SKS carbine.

Hamilton engaged two Moscow Police Officers after they responded to shots being fired toward the courthouse and Officer Lee Newbill was struck multiple times. Officer Bill Shields was slightly wounded to the leg from bullets that ricocheted off the pavement.

Pete Husmann, 20, a University of Idaho senior in Mechanical Engineering, heard the gunfire from his nearby residence and, armed with a .45 caliber handgun, he moved to render assistance at the scene and was shot by Hamilton.

Hamilton left the M1A rifle in the parking lot and moved into the First Presbyterian Church, where he supervised janitorial services at as an employee of American Building Maintenance.

Hamilton worked for ABM along with his wife Crystal, who worked there part-time, as well as Paul Bauer, who had worked for ABM up until April, when he quit to focus his attentions full time on taking care of the groundskeeping at First Presbyterian Church as the sexton.

Once inside the church Hamilton killed Bauer, whose body was found in the church office. He also engaged Latah County Deputy Brannon Jordan, who had been a part of the quick response team that had moved in to evacuate Officer Newbill from the scene. Jordan was hit several times and was evacuated to Gritmann Medical Center.

Officers later recovered 125 shell casings from the two weapons Hamilton was carrying – a Springfield M1A and an AK-47 – from the parking lot and the church. The officers never returned fire.

Husmann is in serious condition at Gritmann Medical Center. Deputy Brannon Jordan has been upgraded to fair condition and has been up and walking with the use of a cane Monday morning. Jordan is expected to be released from the hospital Monday afternoon.

Latah County Sheriff Wayne Rausch says they do not have a motive for the shootings at this time. Hamilton had undergone psychiatric evaluation in February in Lewiston where he discussed his homicidal and suicidal thoughts.

Hamilton has a history of violence including a case of felony strangulation from January of 2006 where he strangled his girlfriend while separated from his wife Crystal. The girlfriend survived and Hamilton was sentenced to 180 days in jail with 90 days suspended.

His last court visit was just last Tuesday, four days before the shootings, for a probation violation. The case was postponed until next month.

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