Stokes Marketplace
PRESTON, IDAHO — Authorities have released more information and the identity of the man who was killed by law enforcement Tuesday night at Stokes Marketplace. The details were provided as a task force of outside detectives continue to piece together what led to the officer-involved shooting.
Pocatello Police Lt. Eric Anderson said officers have confirmed that Raul Antonio Menjivar-Saabedra died at the scene after being shot. The 50-year-old man, who originally was from El Salvador, was working on a dairy farm in Grace.
Menjivar-Saabedra was fatally shot by law enforcement after brandishing a knife on them outside the grocery store. Officers first shot him with a Taser. When the Taser didn’t stop him, police reportedly fired, killing him.
Anderson explained, detectives are still determining what Menjivar-Saabedra was doing in the grocery store and what happened during the lengthy standoff with law enforcement in the parking lot.
“They are still going through body cam footage and looking for cameras around the intersections, so they are still going through everything,” said Anderson.
The incident began to unfold around 8:30 p.m. when law enforcement was called to the store to investigate a report of a suspicious man at the store.
Because the incident involved officers from the Preston City Police Department and deputies from the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, the Pocatello Police Department is leading the investigation as part of the Eastern Idaho Critical Incident Team.
Menjivar-Saabedra’s body was transported to the Idaho State Crime lab in Boise for an autopsy.
Anderson could not say how many officers or deputies opened fire on Menjivar-Saabedra. Their names have not been released. They have been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation.
will@cvradio.com