Nampa Family Files $10 Million Tort Claim Over Teen Shooting by Police
The family of a Nampa teenager shot by city police officers on Halloween night 2025 has filed a $10 million tort claim against the City of Nampa, the Nampa Police Department, and the officers involved, alleging unreasonable and excessive use of deadly force during a disturbance call on the city’s south side.
Background: Halloween Night Disturbance Call
On October 31, 2025, at approximately 7:30 p.m., Nampa Police officers responded to the 2000 block of 2nd St. S. after receiving a report that a teenager had violently attacked his mother. When officers arrived, the woman was outside showing visible signs of injury and was later transported by ambulance to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The teen had retreated into the residence.
Officers received consent from the mother to enter the home. According to the department’s own account of the incident, the teen confronted responding officers armed with a knife. Two officers discharged their weapons, striking the teen in the abdomen and both arms, per the police report. He was transported to a hospital in serious condition. Once disarmed, officers rendered immediate first aid.
What the Tort Claim Alleges
The tort claim, filed April 24 by the family’s attorney, names NPD Chief Joe Huff and three responding officers — Trevor White, Thomas Callahan, and Caden Line — by name. The claim describes the officers’ conduct as “negligent, reckless, and-or grossly negligent” given that the subject was a minor and that several other individuals, including young children, were present nearby.
The claim alleges that Officer White approached the front entry with his firearm already drawn, then pushed open the front door and physically moved the teen’s mother out of the doorway before shots were fired. According to the claim, Officer White fired first without sufficient time for de-escalation or use of less-lethal alternatives, and Officer Callahan fired additional rounds from outside the residence.
The family’s claim disputes several details in the police report, including the location of the teen’s wounds — stating he was struck in the chest, not the abdomen and arms as the department reported. The claim also contends the shooting occurred in a confined residential space, in close proximity to bystanders including minor children, and that officers “unnecessarily and unreasonably escalated the encounter and created the conditions leading to the use of deadly force.”
The claim further alleges a failure by the department to properly train and supervise its officers and lists ongoing physical and emotional harm to the teen, including emergency surgery, extensive medical care, and physical therapy, as damages. The full scope of the teen’s injuries is described as still being evaluated.
Department Response
The Nampa Police Department declined to comment on the claim, citing the active nature of the case. The Canyon County Sheriff’s Office, which handled the initial officer-involved shooting investigation, previously declined to elaborate on how the teen “aggressed” officers. A public records request for the full incident report was also denied pending case disposition.
The family’s attorney had not responded to requests for comment before this article was published.
Officer-involved shooting cases often involve parallel legal and administrative tracks. For broader context on law enforcement accountability cases across Idaho, visit Idaho News. A separate Canyon County criminal case involving use-of-force outcomes was recently resolved — a convicted Canyon County killer was sentenced to 30 years in prison following proceedings in the county court system.
What Comes Next
Under Idaho law, a tort claim is a required precursor to filing a civil lawsuit against a government entity. The filing of the claim signals the family’s intent to pursue litigation if the dispute is not resolved. The city of Nampa will have an opportunity to respond to or reject the claim before any civil suit proceeds.
The outcome of the Canyon County Sheriff’s Office investigation, as well as any internal review by the Nampa Police Department, has not been publicly disclosed. Nampa residents and those following the case may seek updates through the city’s public records process as the matter moves forward.