Saturday, February 01, 2025
37.0°F

Shooting suspect named

BRIAN WALKER/bwalker@cdapress.com | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 10 years, 7 months AGO
by BRIAN WALKER/bwalker@cdapress.com
| June 24, 2014 9:00 PM

The suspect involved in Sunday's officer-involved shooting on Interstate 90 in Post Falls was identified as Glendale, Ariz., resident Marcus A. Rael, whose brother was killed in an interstate shootout with police in Arizona in March.

Rael, 24, who was in critical condition after the Post Falls incident, was upgraded to stable condition at Kootenai Health on Monday, according to the Kootenai County Sheriff's Office. No law enforcement personnel were shot during the exchange.

"The incident began as a traffic stop in the city of Coeur d'Alene, where the driver fled the scene in his pickup," a KCSO press release states. "A subsequent pursuit was initiated from Sherman Avenue and Interstate 90, westbound to milepost 5, in the city of Post Falls.

"The driver, for reasons yet to be determined, stopped his vehicle and began to exchange gunfire with multiple law enforcement personnel from four agencies."

A total of 12 law enforcement personnel exchanged gunfire with Rael, according to the KCSO. Those included six Coeur d'Alene Police officers, three Post Falls Police officers, two KCSO deputies and one Idaho State Police trooper. All of them have been placed on paid administrative leave. Their names will be released later.

At least 40 shots were fired as heard in a video captured by Post Falls teen Julian Mosher, who had pulled up behind the shootout on the interstate onramp with a friend.

No charges have been filed against Rael.

KCSO Lt. Stu Miller said many details about the alleged shooting - including the type of gun Rael had, how many times either he or law enforcement personnel fired, how many times he was shot, whether he remained inside the vehicle during the gunfire exchange and what prompted the traffic stop - can't be released. Miller cited the pending investigation.

The investigation shut down westbound I-90 from the Highway 41 interchange to the Pleasant View exit for about 14 hours on Sunday, causing major traffic delays through Post Falls.

Miller said he didn't know whether Rael has friends or relatives living in this area.

Rael's brother, Andrew J. Rael, 25, died in March following a gun battle with authorities on a Phoenix-area freeway. Andrew Rael, who allegedly killed a tow-truck driver and a convenience-store employee before the exchange with police, was paroled from a Colorado prison in October after serving four years of a six-year sentence on charges that included punching a sheriff's deputy in the face.

The Critical Incident Task Force, with oversight from the Bonner County Sheriff's Office, is continuing to process evidence from the scene. Due to the large, complex nature of the incident and to ensure the integrity of the investigation, additional details have not been released, Miller said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

MORE IMPORTED STORIES

Suspect remains in stable condition
Coeur d'Alene Press | Updated 10 years, 7 months ago
Shooting suspect bond set at $1M
Coeur d'Alene Press | Updated 10 years, 7 months ago
Shooting suspect transferred to jail
Coeur d'Alene Press | Updated 10 years, 7 months ago

ARTICLES BY BRIAN WALKER/BWALKER@CDAPRESS.COM

Post Falls fee hikes proposed
February 3, 2015 8 p.m.

Post Falls fee hikes proposed

New dog adoption fee floated; 117-acre zone change requested
Building a better economy
April 18, 2015 9 p.m.

Building a better economy

Local jobless rate dips slightly to 4.7 percent

POST FALLS - When looking at the economic picture, Scott Krajack sees it much like peeking out the window on a typical unsettled North Idaho spring day.

Kootenai, Plummer-Worley, St. Maries school levies pass
March 11, 2015 9 p.m.

Kootenai, Plummer-Worley, St. Maries school levies pass

Voters in the Kootenai, St. Maries and Plummer-Worley school districts on Tuesday approved supplemental levies to support maintenance and operations.