An escaped Idaho prison inmate who was freed by an accomplice during an ambush at a Boise hospital have both been apprehended, but not before allegedly committing a double murder while on the run.
Inmate Skylar Meade was about to be transported back to the Idaho Maximum Security Institution from St. Alphonsus Regional Medical Center early Wednesday morning when a gunman began firing in the ambulance bay, striking two guards. A third guard was mistakenly shot by responding police after the two suspects escaped in a sedan.
Two of the guards remained hospitalized Thursday in stable and improving condition and the third has been released.
Meade and the gunman, identified as Nicholas Umphenour, were caught Thursday in Twin Falls, Idaho, about 130 miles southeast of Boise. Both are reportedly members of the Aryan Knights white supremacist gang.
Umphenour was previously in the same prison as Meade — who was serving a 20-year-sentence for assaulting a law enforcement officer with a gun — and was released from custody in January.
The Idaho State Police said Meade’s shackles and handcuffs were found at the site where a man was murdered and the two may be connected to the killing of a second man. Both slayings happened in northern Idaho after the escape from the Boise hospital. It’s unknown whether the victims knew either men.
The vehicle they initially escaped in was reported stolen and found in Leland, Idaho, about 270 miles north of Boise. The two were in a different vehicle when they were caught following a brief chase. Police said both cars may have belonged to the victims.
Officials said the investigation was focusing on how the escape was planned and whether the proper protocols had been followed.
Police said Meade performed “injurious behavior” on himself before he was taken to the hospital on Tuesday night, though they did not provide details.
