'Left for dead like common roadkill': Yantis family look for answers
By Rachel Bjornestad Published: Nov 11, 2015 at 1:54 AM MST Last Updated: Nov 11, 2015 at 6:09 AM MST
COUNCIL, Idaho (KBOI) -- THe family of a rancher who was shot and killed in Council told their side of the story Tuesday.
And although details about the shooting are still unclear, Jack Yantis' daughter Sarah was adamant that her father was murdered by Adam County deputies.
And they want to see justice.
"This is the exact spot where my dad Jack Yantis was brutally gunned down and murdered by the Adams County deputies," Sarah Yantis said.
"Though it has been washed twice, and it rained for a night and a day, his blood still remains here on the road. I believe this is where his blood is going to stay until he receives justice for the tragic and needless murder."
Concerned locals packed the Council Valley Assembly of God Tuesday night to hear from the Adams County Sheriff.
"The reason we held this meeting was to get some information out to the public," Sheriff Ryan Zollman said. "To try to explain to them to the best of our ability what we are going through right now."
The community hoped for more information about the officer-involved shooting that killed Jack Yantis, a long-time rancher and resident of Council. Members of the Yantis family were also in attendance.
Some at the meeting were frustrated by what they saw as Zollman’s inability to answer many of their questions, since the Idaho Attorney General has taken over the investigation.
He confirmed that deputies in the area are issued body cameras, but he did not know if they were recording during the shooting. Zollman said he would not release the identities of the deputies for safety reasons.
With so much uncertainty surrounding the shooting, some left the meeting with more questions than answers.
“I would like to know exactly what led up to the incident itself, and that's not what is being told right now because it's under investigation,” Shirley Halsey, a Council resident said.
Meanwhile, Sheriff Zollman and his family have received death threats. "My three small children are very upset,” he said. “This is going to change our lives forever."
Zollman said he would not resign if the deputies were charged and convicted of a crime, because he is committed to serving the people who elected him.
The family of Jack Yantis has accused the deputies involved of murdering Jack. They released a statement earlier on Tuesday regarding the incident.
Here's the remaining statement read by Sarah Yantis:
"My father did not receive any care, including medical care, prior to my arrival," she continued. "And he was shot and left for dead like common roadkill. At the same time, the bull was left to suffer and bleed out inhumanely. When asked to put it down, they would not do it.
"While my father's blood stains this pavement, the officers that murdered him are on paid leave. What has America come to? It's no longer the land of the free and the home of the brave."
"To compel a man to furnish funds for the propagation of ideas he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical."-- Thomas Jefferson
