BOISE, Idaho — An Idaho man told investigators he used a 9 mm Glock handgun hidden in his coat pocket to shoot and kill a police officer because he feared the officer would find the weapon, according to court documents released Wednesday.
The records said Jonathan Renfro, 26, of Rathdrum told authorities he shot Coeur d’Alene police Sgt. Greg Moore early Tuesday then stole his patrol vehicle.
Renfro said he used methamphetamine the day before the shooting, which was recorded by the officer’s body camera.
Moore was checking on a suspicious person while patrolling a neighborhood when he was gunned down. He died later that evening.
“Renfro is observed shooting Sgt. Moore,” Idaho State Police Senior Detective Michael A. Van Leuven wrote in an affidavit that describes images from the camera worn by Moore. “After being shot, Sgt. Moore falls to the ground, causing his body camera to point skyward. A short time later Renfro’s face comes back into the frame. Renfro is seen using a flashlight while searching Sgt. Moore’s person.”
A Post Falls police officer later spotted the stolen police vehicle and gave chase with speeds reaching 125 mph but found the vehicle abandoned. Law enforcement agencies set up a perimeter and Renfro was apprehended several hours later after a police dog found him hiding under a truck and dragged him out.
“From the information I’ve received so far, it doesn’t look like an ambush-style attack,” Coeur d’Alene Police Chief Lee White said. “This was just a bad guy doing bad guy stuff and our officers doing what they were trained to do — and that’s trying to keep our communities safe.”
Renfro faces several felony charges, including murder, attempted murder and grand theft. He’s being held on $2 million bail.
The documents say Moore’s service pistol was found near Renfro, and a second 9 mm pistol was found in a nearby field with Moore’s flashlight and Renfro’s eyeglasses.
Hundreds of people gathered at a candlelight vigil Tuesday for the veteran police officer, some traveling from out of state and others paying tribute to the sacrifice of a lawman they didn’t know.
