Coolin man shot by officers ID'd

SANDPOINT — Idaho State Police identified the man who was killed in an armed confrontation with Bonner County sheriff’s deputies in Coolin on Tuesday as Craig Albert Johnson.

State police said Johnson was shot when deputies attempted to serve an arrest warrant on him. The agency said Johnson, 50, was armed and exhibited hostile behavior, prompting deputies to open fire.

Johnson received medical attention after the shooting and died while being transported in a ground ambulance to an awaiting air ambulance, ISP said in a news release. The names of the deputies involved in the incident were not released on Wednesday.

The incident occurred on Private Drive in Coolin, according to a Bonner Dispatch log. The call is classified as a felony warrant arrest originating at 8:08 a.m. The first deputy arrived at 8:14 a.m. and two more arrived at 8:28 a.m. Three more deputies arrived at the scene by around 9 a.m., the approximate time of the shooting, according to ISP.

Deputies were attempting to arrest Johnson on a charge of aggravated battery for allegedly threatening a deputy with a pistol who was attempting to conduct a welfare check, according to Bonner County Prosecutor Louis Marshall. Marshall said he was unaware of what prompted the welfare check.

A deputy conducted the welfare check in the 600 block of Private Drive on Sunday at 11:54 p.m., according to the dispatch log. The deputy reported clearing the scene four minutes later.

Johnson has no prior criminal record in Idaho, the state supreme court data repository indicates.

The criminal case against Johnson arising from the Sunday incident remains filed under seal at the Bonner County Courthouse. The case could remain sealed indefinitely because the warrant was not ultimately served.

Johnson has strong ties to the Spokane area, according to an article published by the Spokesman-Review on Thursday. He was a Mead High School graduate who has been married to a Spokane attorney for the past 15 years.

Johnson was a licensed real estate agent for Berkshire Hathaway Home Services First Look Real Estate in Spokane, but mostly worked from home, the article said.

Friends and colleagues expressed astonishment at the turn of events and described Johnson as friendly and mild-mannered.

“We’re very surprised,” First Look office manager Jennifer Collins told the newspaper. “He was awesome. We’re totally in shock. It makes no sense.”