White supremacist prisoner and accomplice still on the run after escaping during Idaho hospital ambush

Authorities are still searching for a white supremacist Idaho prison inmate, Nicholas Umphenour, and an accomplice who fled after the accomplice shot and wounded corrections officers as they were transporting the inmate from a Boise hospital. Umphenour is suspected of shooting two corrections officers during the ambush in the ambulance bay at Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center. A warrant with a $2 million bond has been issued for his arrest on charges of aggravated battery against law enforcement and aiding and abetting an escape. The accomplice, Skylar Meade, is described as a white supremacist gang member who was sentenced to 20 years in 2017 for shooting at a sheriff’s sergeant during a high-speed chase.

The attack occurred at 2:15 a.m. as Idaho Department of Correction officers prepared to bring Meade back to prison. Three corrections officers were shot and wounded during the attack, two allegedly by Umphenour and one by responding police. Meade had engaged in self-injurious behavior and required emergency care at the hospital. One officer shot by the suspect was in critical but stable condition, while the second wounded officer had serious but non-life-threatening injuries. A third injured corrections officer sustained non-life-threatening injuries when a responding officer mistakenly opened fire, believing the shooter was still in the emergency room.

Umphenour is described as 5-foot-11, 160 pounds with brown hair and hazel eyes, and Meade is 5-foot-6, 150 pounds with face tattoos representing the Aryan Knights gang. Meade had been held in administrative segregation at Idaho Maximum Security Institution in Kuna due to being deemed a severe security risk. Officials had escorted Meade at the hospital with armed staff following, and he was in restraints while being escorted in and out of the hospital. The attack has raised questions about the security measures in place during the inmate’s transport and departure from the hospital.

The incident occurred as part of a wave of gun violence at hospitals and medical centers, prompting increased security measures at Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center. The shooting happened in the ambulance bay by the emergency department, but all patients and staff were reported safe, and the medical center campus resumed normal operations. The Emergency Department was temporarily locked down while the investigation was ongoing, and hospital security was increased on campus. Authorities have not disclosed if other security measures were in place during Meade’s departure from the hospital, and the investigation is ongoing.

The brazen and violent attack on Idaho Department of Corrections personnel to facilitate an escape of a dangerous inmate was described as coordinated by Boise Police Chief Ron Winegar. Umphenour and Meade drove off in a gray 2020 Honda Civic with Idaho plates, and their whereabouts are still unknown. Police are actively searching for the individuals, and anyone with information is urged to contact authorities. The urgency and severity of the situation highlight the risks posed by violent offenders and the importance of maintaining security measures within the correctional system.