On a Saturday afternoon, August 22, 2015, a 26-year-old White male named Kyle Jackson stood on the side of the road in Nampa, Idaho. Dressed in red, he was waving a red bandana, yelling, and making gestures at passing drivers. Some witnesses reported he may have also been waving a knife. Concerned onlookers called the Nampa Police Department, but since no one was willing to go on record as a victim of disturbing the peace, officers who responded could not make an arrest.
Instead, an officer warned Jackson that his behavior was antagonizing and that someone might take issue with his actions.
A couple of hours later, that warning became a tragic reality. A black SUV carrying occupants, including 20-year-old Alberto Chavez, stopped and a confrontation ensued. The altercation, believed by police to be gang-related, quickly escalated. Jackson allegedly slashed at Chavez with a knife during the argument. As Jackson turned to walk away, Chavez, who was a passenger in the vehicle, produced a. 38 revolver and shot him once in the back of the head. The SUV then fled the scene, leaving Jackson critically wounded. He was transported to a local hospital where he died from his injuries.
An investigation led police to a home in Nampa where they believed the persons of interest were located. The following day, detectives watched as a Chevrolet Trailblazer departed from the residence. When police attempted to pull the vehicle over, the driver sped off, initiating a high-speed chase that wound through two counties and at times reached speeds of 90 miles per hour. The pursuit finally ended when officers performed a maneuver to stop the vehicle.
Three men were arrested in connection with the shooting and the subsequent chase. Alberto Chavez, the suspected shooter, was charged with destruction of evidence and later pleaded guilty to second-degree murder. Two other men faced charges related to the incident: 21-year-old Luis Castillo-Rodriguez, accused of driving the SUV at the time of the shooting, was charged with harboring a felon, and 36-year-old Robert Johnson, the alleged driver of the getaway vehicle during the police chase, was charged with felony eluding.
