Vol. 80/No. 30 August 15, 2016
(front page)
Refusal to indict cops who killed Idaho rancher is ‘a real cover-up’
The delay in releasing the report, based on an investigation by the Idaho State Police that was completed March 10, fueled anger over the killing. The report revealed that deputies Cody Roland and Brian Wood fired 20 bullets at Yantis, hitting him 12 times.
The day after the decision, hundreds at the Adams County Fair and Rodeo showed their support for the Yantis family, many wearing Justice for Jack shirts or holding pennants with his name. Jack Yantis’ riderless horse was led around the rodeo grounds while the announcer recalled the role Yantis played in the community and participants cheered.
“I am utterly disgusted by the attorney general’s report,” Iva Henderson, who runs a small farm in Pollock, Idaho, told the Militant by phone July 31. “I listened to the recordings of the testimonies by the two deputies. They contradicted each other and the stories changed. There is a real cover-up and the attorney general’s office is part of this.”
Sheriff deputies had called Yantis to put down his bull, which had been struck by a car. Yantis, his wife Donna, his nephew Rowdy Paradis, and a friend headed to the highway.
Some witnesses said that Yantis told one of the cops to put “that piece of s--- away,” referring to the rifle the cops used to shoot the bull, leaving it wounded but suffering.
Donna Yantis and Paradis stated that as Yantis was aiming at the back of the bull’s head, one of the deputies spun him around and then both deputies unleashed a hail of bullets.
When Yantis’ wife and nephew tried to help him after he was shot, they were both arrested. Donna Yantis suffered a heart attack and was taken to a hospital.
According to the attorney general’s report, the cops claim they told Yantis to put down his gun but instead he swung around and pointed it at them. They also claim that Yantis fired a shot at them. The report states that the deputies’ dashcam and body cams were not turned on.
Outraged over the killing and inspired by Black Lives Matter protests against other killings by cops around the country, friends and supporters of the Yantis family organized numerous protests to demand the cops be charged and the facts on the case released.
These included marches and rallies Nov. 14 and March 5 of several hundred in Council, a town of 816 people, and numerous smaller protests at the state Capitol in Boise. Some protesters carried signs saying “Ranchers Lives Matter.”
A June 11 motorcycle and car run that included a poker game, spaghetti dinner and concert was held to raise money for the Yantis family. In July a three-man team wearing “Justice for Jack” shirts won second place in a wild cow milking contest.
“There is no accountability,” Boise resident Rebecca Barrow, who grew up in Council and helped organize many of the actions demanding prosecution of the sheriff’s deputies, said by phone July 30. “I fear for my children and all people knowing that in any kind of confrontation with law enforcement they can just shoot to kill saying they feared for their lives.”
The Yantis family has filed a wrongful death civil lawsuit against Adams County.
Chuck Peterson, the family’s attorney, criticized the attorney general’s decision not to indict the cops. The jury should have had the chance to decide if there is proof beyond a reasonable doubt. “Isn’t that what juries are for?” Peterson said.
Police in Idaho have shot and killed at least 54 people while on duty in the past 15 years. They were cleared in 50 of those deaths, four remain under investigation.
Related articles:
Canada: Hundreds protest cop killing of Somali worker
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