Two white supremacist gang members, Skylar Meade and Nicholas Umphenour, were apprehended by police following an attack on corrections officers at a Boise hospital. Meade, an Idaho prison inmate, and Umphenour, his accomplice in the escape, were arrested after a brief car chase in Twin Falls, about 130 miles from the hospital.
Authorities revealed during a news conference that they were investigating two homicides in Clearwater County and Nez Perce County. Both victims were men. Shackles found at one crime scene linked the cases, according to Idaho State Police Lt. Colonel Sheldon Kelley.
The Clearwater County Sheriff’s Office received a welfare check request and found a deceased man. The suspects were several hours away when the call was made. Further details on the incident were not disclosed.
Meade, 31, was sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2017 for shooting at a sheriff’s sergeant during a high-speed chase. Umphenour was released from the same prison in January. Both were members of the Aryan Knights prison gang and had mutual connections in and out of prison.
The attack on corrections officers occurred at Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center around 2 a.m. as they were preparing to return Meade to prison. One officer was critically injured while the other had serious but non-life-threatening injuries. A third officer sustained injuries when a responding police officer mistook them for the shooter.
The Aryan Knights, formed in the mid-1990s in Idaho’s prison system, has been involved in various criminal activities, according to federal prosecutors. In 2021, Harlan Hale, a leader in the group, was sentenced to life in prison for trafficking drugs and using violence.
Mark Pitcavage of the Anti-Defamation League estimates the Aryan Knights have around 150 members in prison and approximately 100 on the streets. He notes that the group operates in multiple states, including Washington and Oregon.
Meade had been held in administrative segregation due to his violent history. Security measures for transporting him to the hospital were enhanced, but the department will review its policies following the incident.
The attack underscores concerns over violence in hospitals, which have faced increasing threats in recent times. Authorities continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding the escape and the related homicides.
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