STORY AND PHOTO BY KAREN BOSSICK

NAMI and members of the 5B Suicide Prevention counseling staff are offering assistance to the community following a shooting that resulted in the death of a young woman and a Hailey police officer on Thursday, Oct. 22.

“We are highly aware and deeply concerned about the mental and emotional wellbeing of our entire community at this time, including our police department staff,” said Hailey Mayor Martha Burke. “Local law enforcement met since this tragic incident in a critical incident counseling session with a trained professional.

“The Hailey City council and I will rely on the mental health experts and the experts conducting this investigation to steer us back toward community wellbeing following this terrible and tragic news.”

The communities of Bellevue and Hailey have offered assistance to one another, Burke added: “Mayor (Ned) Burns reached out to me to offer his condolences, sadness and support in the face of this tragedy, saying neighbors help neighbors in need.”

Police were called to a Bellevue coffee shop about 8 p.m. the evening of Thursday, Oct. 22. There, they discovered the bodies of Ashley Midby, who ran the coffee shop, and Jared Murphy, who joined the Hailey Police Department in March 2018. Murphy was making his second bid for Bellevue mayor, running against incumbent Ned Burns.

“Our deepest condolences go out to the friends, coworkers, certainly the families, and all those so painfully impacted by this extreme tragedy,” said Hailey Mayor Martha Burke. “The loss of young life pains us all, and we, with the entire local community, deeply grieve these losses.”

Those wishing to talk to someone may contact NAMI Wood River Valley at 208-481-0686 or info@namiwrv.org. Help is also available at St. Luke’s Center for Community Health at 208-727-8733, the local crisis and referral hotline at 208-788-3596, and the Suicide Prevention Hotline at 208-398-HELP (4357).

The incident is under investigation.