Officers cleared for use of deadly force after SWAT standoff in downtown Wallace

WALLACE, Idaho – No charges will be filed against Officer Bryan Baker of the Coeur d’Alene Police Department and Deputy John Novak of the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office after the Shoshone County Prosecutor concluded that the fatal shooting of John Drake was justified. On December 26, 2025, Drake entered the Shoshone County Public Safety Building, which houses the sheriff’s office, dispatch center and detention facility, with multiple firearms and discharged a weapon inside the facility before exiting the building and opening fire on the street outside, striking two civilians. Responding law enforcement was also targeted with gunfire, as the 77-year-old man retreated inside the facility and barricaded himself in the visiting room. A SWAT standoff ensued for around one hour, until Drake exited the building, armed with a pistol. Officer Baker and Deputy Novak were positioned near a SWAT vehicle and fired their weapons at Drake, striking him and causing him to fall to the ground before he was secured with assistance from a police K9 unit. A medical examiner’s report later determined that Drake died from three gunshot wounds. In a letter shared on April 24, Shoshone County Prosecuting Attorney Benjamin Allen cited U.S. Supreme Court precedents and Idaho state law to determine that the use of deadly force was justified, as the officers involved had probable cause to believe the suspect posed a significant threat of death or serious injury. Allen highlighted the multiple life-threatening felonies that police observed Drake committing and noted that Officer Baker and Deputy Novak only used deadly force when Drake once again posed an active threat at the conclusion of the SWAT standoff. This decision was sent to the involved officers, legal counsel, county sheriffs and the coroner, announcing that the prosecutor had formally cleared Officer Baker and Deputy Novak of any criminal wrongdoing.