Can you imagine being at home with your family, peacefully enjoying the day, only to be ambushed by open gunfire outside your home? Idaho Police Officer Josh Rigney was off-duty and at home with his family when a man drove by his house and opened fired. His family was not injured, but Rigney was shot twice while interchanging gunfire with the unidentified man and was later treated at a nearby hospital, where his reported to survive.
According to a neighbor of Rigney’s, the unidentified man was said to be looking through the windows of the neighbor who lives only houses away from Rigney. The neighbor saw him and questioned him about this. Reportedly, the man asked the neighbor where the “tribal cop” lived. The neighbor said she wasn’t sure, but pointed next door to where a tribal patrol car was parked in front of an apartment complex.
The suspect, later identified as Daniel Cook, Jr., fled the scene as Officer Rigney’s wife called 911. The suspect was eventually located, caught in a brief shootout with three on-duty police officers, was hit multiple times, and later died. Thankfully, no other officers were injured during the exchange. A motive for why the suspect was looking for the Officer is unknown at this time. And an investigation is ongoing.
Reminds us of the importance to keep our online personal information safe. Run an online search of yourself and see what you can find. If anything pops up, be proactive and either hire a service who can help you remove your information or try to remove it yourself. It will be a daunting task, but well worth it to protect your information, making it harder for thugs to find you and your family.