Bay Area honors Tobin Bolter, deputy killed in line of duty in Idaho
WALNUT CREEK, Calif. - Though hundreds of miles away, the East Bay community mourned on Tuesday a former police officer who died in the line of duty while serving as a sheriff's deputy in Idaho.
A memorial service was held in Idaho to honor Deputy Tobin Bolter, 27, who worked for the Ada County Sheriff's Office. Law enforcement officers and relatives gathered at the Ford Idaho Center near Boise to pay their respects to the officer who was fatally shot while conducting a traffic stop.
The memorial service in Idaho was live-streamed at NorthCreek Church in Walnut Creek, where hundreds of friends, church members, and law enforcement officers came to pay their respects. Bolter was a member of the church up until he relocated to Idaho.
"I am truly speechless at the generosity of so many individuals," Bolter's wife, Abbey Bolter, said at the service in Idaho. "I am mostly grieving the loss of my best friend. This coming June, we would have celebrated our sixth year of marriage."
Abbey Bolter was surrounded by her husband's parents, Steve and Cindy Bolter, as well as her parents, Benji and Shelly Wells, and other relatives while on stage. She thanked the thousands of people who came to honor her husband.
Tobin Bolter's grandmother, Lily, couldn't make the trip to Idaho and attended the livestream gathering at North in Walnut Creek.
"We wanted to have an opportunity to bring the community together here at our church, those who were not able to go up to Idaho to be in person. Be able to watch here in solidarity, to support the Bolter family and the Wells family," said NorthCreek's Executive Pastor Matthew Rehrer. "Tobin and Abbey both grew up here. They were married here. Both of their families still attend here. So this has been very impactful."
Idaho deputy shot, killed during traffic stop
An Idaho deputy, Tobin Bolter, 27, was fatally shot during a traffic stop in Boise. Bolter stopped a gray Chevy Suburban where a 65-year-old male suspect with a misdemeanor warrant was driving.
Bolter graduated from Berean Christian High School in Walnut Creek in 2015, where he later worked as a cross-country and track and field coach alongside his wife, Abbey Bolter.
In his high school yearbook, Bolter listed a police officer as his dream job.
"When you think of Tobin, the first word that comes to mind is servant…someone who wants to serve." said Nicholas Harris, principal of Berean Christian High School. "So to be in public service, looking out for others, that made sense for him."
Officers from Pleasant Hill and Walnut Creek police departments also attended the NorthCreek Church gathering on Tuesday.
Bolter underwent cadet training with the Walnut Creek Police Department. In 2018, he joined the Pleasant Hill Police Department, where he served for several years before moving to Idaho.
Ada County Sheriff Matt Clifford said Bolter had only been a deputy for four months there, but had already made an impact on the community. Clifford shared a story about a witness who told him that Bolter had shown great compassion.
"This week has been an emotional roller coaster," said Sheriff Clifford.
Bolter was fatally shot on April 28 by a driver during a traffic stop. The driver was later killed by police.
During the memorial service for Bolter, the Ada County Sheriff's Office presented his family with a Purple Heart.
In Walnut Creek, church members and longtime friends said they wanted to attend the service to support Bolter's family.
"I know a lot of my friends know him. He's around our age and our pastor spoke about him," said Danette Leung, a church member who knows Bolter's sister.
"I am the facilities' manager of the high school that he went to, so I got to see him regularly on a daily basis, and just a light to everyone he touched. Amazing young man, little boy up to a young man," said family friend Keith Alexander.
At the NorthCreek Church service, the staff handed out blank cards and asked people to write memories and remembrances. They plan to give the cards to Bolter's family.