Idaho inmate, accomplice captured nearly 130 miles from hospital where ambush and escape occurred

Idaho police arrested a prison gang member and an accomplice who helped him escape custody from a hospital early Wednesday, after ambushing officers, opening fire and striking two of them in what authorities believe was a planned attack.

Now, police believe the two men were involved in two homicides that occurred while the two suspects fled.

The shooting occurred at 2:15 a.m. when Idaho Department of Corrections (IDOC) officers were preparing to return Skylar Meade to prison. Meade had been previously transported to Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center to be treated after engaging in “self-injurious behavior,” according to IDOC Director Josh Tewalt.

While at the hospital, Nicholas Umphenour attacked and fired at the officers. During the attack, Umphenour struck two officers, one of whom was listed in critical but stable condition, while the other sustained serious but non-life-threatening injuries.

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L-R: Nicholas Umphenour and Skylar Meade. (Boise Police Department)

A third IDOC officer was injured after Boise police responded and fired at an armed individual near the hospital entrance. The IDOC officer was not seriously injured and received treatment.

Mead and Umphenour were taken into custody during a traffic stop on Thursday afternoon in Twin Falls, nearly 130 miles from the hospital they’d fled.

During a news conference on Thursday, authorities said they were investigating two homicides in Nez Perce and Clearwater counties, where a 2020 Honda Civic believed to be the one the duo fled in was later found.

Investigators also found shackles at the scene of one of the murders.

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Boise police have provided a photo of Skylar Meade from prison.  (Boise Police Department)

Idaho State Police Lt. Colonel Sheldon Kelley told reporters, “that’s one of the ways we tied them together,” referring to how they linked the suspects to the murders.

Meade was sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2017 for firing shots at a Twin Falls sheriff’s sergeant during a high-speed chase. His prior convictions include felony possession of a controlled substance, grand theft, and introduction of contraband into a correctional facility.

Police said Meade is an affiliated member of the “Aryan Knights,” a white supremacist prison gang based primarily in Idaho. He has the numbers 1 and 11 tattooed on either side of his face, representing “A” and “K.”

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Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center was placed on temporary lockdown following the shooting incident. (Google Maps)

Meade had been placed in what Tewalt called “administrative segregation,” a type of solitary confinement at Idaho Maximum Security Institution in Kuna, because of his behavior while in custody. 

Tewalt said the restrictive housing Meade was placed in is reserved for those in custody who prove they cannot be housed without being a danger to themselves.

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Prior to the apprehension of the two men, Boise police announced they’d obtained a warrant for Umphenour’s arrest for aggravated battery against a law enforcement officer and abetting an escape. The warrant has a $2 million bond, police said.

Fox News Digital’s Stephen Sorace and Bradford Betz, along with the Associated Press contributed to this report.