Coroner ID’s 65-year-old man suspected of shooting, killing Ada County sheriff’s deputy

Alex Brizee
·2 min read

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The Ada County Coroner’s Office identified the Boise man who police said shot and killed an Ada County sheriff’s deputy.

Dennis Mulqueen shot Ada County Sheriff’s Deputy Tobin Bolter in the neck after the deputy pulled him over for a traffic stop just before 9 p.m. Saturday near the area of West Overland Road and South Raymond Street on the Boise Bench, according to authorities. Ada County Sheriff Matt Clifford said Bolter “never even made it to the window,” the Idaho Statesman previously reported, referring to the driver’s side window.

Police said Mulqueen, 65, fled the scene, and a nearby citizen called 911 until the paramedics arrived. He was later found outside a home on South Jackson Street late Saturday, and police attempted for “quite some time” to apprehend him peacefully, Boise Police Chief Ron Winegar said. Mulqueen fired his weapon at officers, prompting a Boise police officer, who hasn’t been identified, to fire back and shoot him in the chest, according to Winegar and the Ada County Coroner’s Office.

Mulqueen was taken to Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center in Boise, where he died in the emergency room around just after 12:30 a.m. Sunday, according to the coroner. His death was ruled a homicide.

No other officers were injured in the shooting, according to police. Bolter, who joined the Sheriff’s Office in January from the Meridian Police Department, died Sunday morning. He was 27.

“It will take a long time for healing,” Clifford said at a news conference just after Bolter died. “It’s one of those things that can never be forgotten.”

Dennis Mulqueen shot and killed Ada County Sheriff’s Deputy Tobin Bolter after the deputy pulled him over for a traffic stop Saturday near the area of West Overland Road and South Raymond Street on the Boise Bench. Mulqueen was later killed by a Boise police officer after he shot at officers.
Dennis Mulqueen shot and killed Ada County Sheriff’s Deputy Tobin Bolter after the deputy pulled him over for a traffic stop Saturday near the area of West Overland Road and South Raymond Street on the Boise Bench. Mulqueen was later killed by a Boise police officer after he shot at officers.

Mulqueen had a $3,000 warrant out for his arrest stemming from a 2023 DUI, online court records showed. A judge issued a warrant for his arrest after he missed a hearing in December.

Law enforcement is asking anyone who might have seen or interacted with Mulqueen on Friday or Saturday to contact Ada County Sheriff’s Detective Kelley Day at 208-577-3722 or kday@adacounty.id.gov, according to a news release from the Boise Police Department and the coroner.

“Detectives are working to learn more about the suspect and what other interactions he had before the shooting on April 20,” the release said.

A police procession escorts Ada County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Tobin Botler from the Ada County Coroner’s Office to a funeral home Sunday in Boise The 27-year-old was shot during a traffic stop Saturday night.
A police procession escorts Ada County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Tobin Botler from the Ada County Coroner’s Office to a funeral home Sunday in Boise The 27-year-old was shot during a traffic stop Saturday night.