In the early morning hours of May 5, 2015, a sense of unease settled over a quiet neighborhood in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. It was around 1:30 a.m. when Sergeant Greg Moore, a 43-year-old Caucasian male and a 16-year veteran of the Coeur d'Alene Police Department, was on patrol. His shift took a fateful turn when he noticed a suspicious individual walking along the road in the Sunshine Meadows neighborhood.
Concerned about recent garage break-ins in the area, Moore stopped his patrol car to make contact with the man. He radioed dispatch, running the man's name: Jonathan Daniel Renfro, 26, a man who was on parole. This would be the last routine call the seasoned officer would ever make.
As Moore questioned Renfro, the situation escalated with shocking speed. The encounter, captured on Moore's body camera, shows the moment Renfro, fearing a search would reveal the handgun in his pocket, pulled the weapon and shot the unsuspecting officer in the head. With Moore lying gravely wounded in the street, Renfro callously searched his body, stole his patrol car, and fled the scene. A nearby resident, startled by the gunshot, discovered the fallen officer and immediately called for help. The stolen patrol car was spotted speeding through the nearby city of Post Falls, triggering a high-speed chase that reached speeds of 125 mph.
The manhunt for Renfro was swift. He was apprehended a few hours later, found hiding under a semi-truck trailer. In the meantime, Sergeant Moore was rushed to Kootenai Health, where he fought for his life throughout the day. Despite the efforts of medical staff, he succumbed to his injuries at 5:50 p.m., surrounded by his family. The death of the beloved officer, the first to be killed in the line of duty in Coeur d'Alene, sent shockwaves through the community.
In the aftermath, Jonathan Daniel Renfro was charged with a slew of felonies, including first-degree murder. The investigation revealed the firearm used in the shooting had been stolen just 12 days prior by Nicholace Cane Thomas and Donald Eugene Shuck, who were later sentenced for their connection to the weapon. Renfro was ultimately convicted for the murder of Sergeant Greg Moore and, in 2017, was sentenced to death.
