Boise cop shot man in ’22. What the city’s new police-accountability director says now
The Boise police officer who shot a 25-year-old man in 2022 was justified and “responded commendably,” according to a report from the city’s newest Office of Police Accountability director.
Jonathan Manee, of Boise, pulled a handgun on Boise Police Cpl. Cody Evans after he tried to persuade Manee, who was stalling traffic on busy Fairview Avenue, to move to the sidewalk, the report said. Evans shot Manee once and fired a second shot that missed. Manee survived the shooting.
“In this instance, the officer responded commendably to an event that evolved rapidly,” said Nicole McKay, Office of Police Accountability director, in the report released Monday.
The report, released almost two years after the Feb. 22, 2022, incident, said Evans responded to a 911 call about a man on Fairview Avenue between North Liberty and North Hartman streets. On the scene, Evans tried to encourage Manee to get to the sidewalk, but as he tried to guide him out of the street, the report said, Manee became agitated and punched Evans.
Manee then pulled out a loaded .22-caliber Ruger SR22 pistol while he was a few feet from Evans, the report said. Evans immediately drew his gun and fired two shots. One of them hit Manee in the upper torso, and he fell. The second struck a vehicle going through the intersection, the report said. No one in the car was injured.
Officers gave Manee medical aid until medical personnel arrived on scene, the report said. Manee survived his injuries, and he was later sentenced to 25 years in prison with the possibility of parole in 15, the Idaho Statesman reported.
“Cpl. Evans handled the call in a professional manner,” McKay said in the report. “Cpl. Evans was respectful and calm as he offered solutions for Mr. Manee to move out of traffic and address the stalled vehicle. Mr. Manee refused reasonable requests to resolve a threat to his and the public’s safety and became agitated.”
Evans tried to “deescalate the situation” by talking to Manee, the report said.
“Despite these efforts, Mr. Manee became aggressive and moved forward towards Cpl. Evans as he attempted to back away,” McKay said.
A Critical Incident Task Force, by the Ada County Sheriff’s Office, and a Boise Police Department internal-affairs report found Evans was justified in the shooting. The accountability office agreed.
“Given the imminent nature of the threat of being shot, less-than-lethal force options, such as a taser or pepper spray, were not appropriate or reasonable for the officer to use in this situation,” McKay said in the report.
In an interview with the Statesman in October 2023, Police Chief Ron Winegar said the incident was “a textbook example of how an officer should respond in a situation like that.”
Evans was on paid administrative leave immediately after the shooting. Haley Williams, spokesperson for Boise police, said he has since returned to work.
The investigation took two years because of a backlog in the office after the Boise City Council fired former director Jesus Jara in December 2022 and because the office needed to wait for the conclusion of the Critical Incident Task Force and internal-affairs reports, said Maria Weeg, spokesperson for the city.
The report released Monday was McKay’s first investigative report as director since she was appointed in August. She was the former chief of staff and chief deputy under former Idaho Attorney General Lawrence Wasden.
Reporter Alex Brizee contributed.
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