COUNCIL, Idaho (KBOI) — Half a year ago, Adams County Sheriff's deputies shot and killed Council rancher Jack Yantis.
In that time, community members in the small town of Council have noticed a divide growing among the townspeople.
The intimate rural community is comprised of less than 900 people. Many of those who call Council home knew either Yantis or the deputies involved in his death. Some knew both.
With such a high percentage of the population only being removed from the incident by one degree of separation, many feel personally invested.
Very few people know exactly what happened that day six months ago and one of them is dead. This has caused several versions of the story leading up to Yantis' death to circulate through town.
A few residents told KBOI 2News they just want to know what happened, and if anyone is to blame for the end result.
Both Idaho State Police and the Federal Bureau of Investigations launched independent investigations into the killing of Yantis. So far, neither investigation has yielded results which have been made public.
"Everybody is just waiting to hear what's going to happen," said Jenevieve Wilmarth, a long time Council resident. "I think once we hear that I think then we can move forward and move on."
ISP turned its findings over to the Idaho Attorney General who will make the decision as to whether the deputies should be criminally charged for their role in the shooting.
Once the AG makes a determination, the rift in the community could grow even larger as many have joined a "Justice for Jack" movement advocating for the dead rancher.
While many in the town just want to move on and put the incident behind them, the death of Jack Yantis has left a permanent mark on Council so even if they can put it behind them, it will be staring right back at the town from the rear-view mirror.
"Will it, will this area ever be the same and look at things the same? Probably not," Wilmarth said.
RELATED LINKS:
FRIENDS, FAMILY REFLECT ON YANTIS
ncG1vNJzZmihlJa1sLrEsKpnm5%2BifK%2Bx1qxmpaeTlrlwr86upZyhnGLAqbvOraCnn12otrl5zKilraCjYrmiwMSr