Officials identify man who died following gun fight with deputies

IDAHO FALLS — The Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office has identified the man who died following an exchange of gunfire with deputies on Wednesday, Dec. 17, on North County Line Road.

Sheriff’s office spokesman Sgt. Bryan Lovell identified the deceased man as 26-year-old Landon Smith of Madison County.

Earlier police reports show that shortly after 3:30 a.m., the Madison County Sheriff’s Office was looking for a man who had allegedly been involved in a domestic incident earlier in the night and had allegedly stolen a vehicle from another home.

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The man was believed to be armed, and there were indications his intent was to commit suicide by police, according to the release. It is not clear what those indications were.

Madison County deputies found information indicating the man might be in the Idaho Falls area and requested help from Bonneville County in searching for him, according to previous reporting by EastIdahoNews.com.

Later that morning, Bonneville deputies found and followed Smith’s vehicle on North Yellowstone Highway to County Line Road, where Smith turned east, and more patrol cars arrived.

As the car approached 95th East, a deputy stopped it using a PIT technique, which caused the car to veer off the side of the road and into the gutter.

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Smith allegedly began firing rounds, and two deputies shot back.

He suffered a life-threatening gunshot wound. Lovell tells EastIdahoNews.com it’s unclear if the gunshot wound was self-inflicted or caused by deputies. Further investigation is pending.

Smith was treated on scene by deputies and emergency responders who transported him to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center in Idaho Falls. On Sunday, Dec. 21, Smith was declared brain dead by medical staff and officially declared deceased on Monday, Dec. 22.

No deputies were hurt during the incident.

The investigation is ongoing, and no further information is available at this time.

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