CHUBBUCK — A falling out between two men with business ties ended in a brazen Friday afternoon shooting along one of Chubbuck’s busiest streets that left one of them dead and the other one in jail.
Authorities identified the victim who died at the scene as Robert Phelps, 38, of Chubbuck and the alleged shooter as Anthony Leinweber, also 38, of Chubbuck. Authorities confirmed the two knew each other through business dealings, but further details have not been released.
Leinweber remained at the scene following the shooting and surrendered to responding police officers. He is currently being held at the Bannock County Jail on a charge of second-degree murder and if convicted he faces 10 years to life in prison.
Phelphs was unarmed when he initiated an argument with Leinweber outside the Jacksons convenience store in the 5000 block of Yellowstone Avenue that ended in the shooting, authorities said.
The Bannock County Prosecutor’s Office has handled so many murders in recent years that it immediately sent a team of prosecutors out to the scene to help with the investigation.
The Chubbuck Police Department, the lead agency in the investigation, is asking for patience from the community as the department's detectives investigate the murder.
Chubbuck police Capt. Bill Guiberson said in a Saturday press release: "As with all cases of this magnitude, we understand with social media there are many statements being made and rumors abound. We are fortunate to live in a community where events of this nature are rare, and we also understand the public’s interest in this particular case. I can assure you that our investigators are working tirelessly to uncover the facts of this case so that they can be presented, in a courtroom, at a later date."
The shooting occurred at approximately 2:15 p.m. Friday in front of the Jacksons convenience store after Leinweber pulled into the store's parking lot in a black Mercedes-Benz sedan.
After Leinweber had gone into the store to make a purchase and returned to his car, Phelps approached Leinweber's parked vehicle from the passenger side, authorities said.
While Leinweber sat in his car, an argument ensued between him and Phelps with Phelps standing next to the passenger side of the car, authorities said. Leinweber then exited his car and allegedly shot Phelps once in the face or head area with a pistol, authorities said. Phelps died at the scene.
A witness at the scene said that Phelps owned a local auto repair shop and that Leinweber was a former employee at the shop. Both Leinweber and Phelps were friends at one point but had a falling out leading up to the shooting, the witness said.
Bannock County Coroner Kim Quick said Phelps was shot once in the head area. Quick said he'll be able to provide a more specific location of the wound after an autopsy is done on Phelps' body on Monday.
Authorities said they don't yet know what specific issue caused the disagreement between Phelps and Leinweber that led to the argument and then the shooting.
In the Chubbuck police press release on the incident, Guiberson praised the work of the many emergency responders who rushed to the shooting scene.
"There were many first responders who rushed to the scene initially and demonstrated true professionalism while dealing with an extremely dangerous situation," Guiberson said via the press release. "They were able to account for everyone involved, place the shooter in custody, provide first aid to Robert Phelps, and secure the scene within a very short period of time. These first responders used their training and rushed into a chaotic scene in order to protect any further loss of life. Their performance under pressure was a true demonstration of their dedication to our community. Members from the Chubbuck police, Bannock County Sheriff’s Office, Idaho State Police and Chubbuck Fire Department cannot be thanked enough for their response to this situation."



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