BOISE, Idaho (AP) - Prosecutors have cleared Ada County Sheriff’s deputies who shot at a Nampa man before he broke into a Boise house, set it on fire and died in the blaze.
Pavel Florea had extremely high levels of methamphetamine when he also pointed a shotgun at deputies on Sept. 27, 2017, according to a report released Wednesday by the Ada County Sheriff’s Office.
Twin Falls Prosecutor Grant Loebs reviewed the report and found that Chris Matkin and Sage Hickam - the two deputies who fired a total of six rounds at Florea that night - and other deputies at the scene showed professionalism and courage as they risked their own lives to save others.
Florea broke into the house and refused to come out. The house caught fire a short time later and investigators in a recent report speculated Florea set the fire using an accelerant, such as gasoline.
It’s still a mystery why Florea went on a rampage that night, as there was no link between Florea and the house or its owners.
Detectives theorized: that Florea saw a Facebook ad for a moving sale at the house and decided to try to steal good or that he confused the house with another nearby house that had a history of drug activity.
An autopsy determined Florea had a gunshot wound in his foot - possibly from one of two deputies who fired at him - and that he died from acute carbon monoxide poisoning. The Ada County Coroner’s Office ruled his death a suicide, the sheriff’s office said.
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