Boise mall shooting: Gunman dies at hospital; US Army veteran among 2 killed
Gunman Jacob Bergquist, 27, was a “known subject” to local police but had no arrests, Boise's police chief said Tuesday
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The suspect in an Idaho shopping mall shooting on Monday that left two victims dead and four others wounded has died in a hospital following a shootout with police, authorities said Tuesday.
The gunman was identified as Jacob Bergquist, 27, of Boise, according to the Idaho Statesman newspaper.
Those killed in the shooting were identified as Roberto Padilla Arguelles, 49, of Rupert, and Jo Acker, 26, a U.S. Army veteran, the report said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Acker was a security guard at the mall and was working to save lives when she was fatally shot, the Statesman reported.
"She would see anybody in trouble, no matter how uncomfortable or awkward it would be, she would stop whatever she was doing to make sure that the other person is safe," Ray Dawn, Acker's partner, told the newspaper.
Wounded at the mall on Monday were two women, ages 52 and 23, while a 68-year-old woman and a Boise police officer were wounded while inside their vehicles, the Statesman reported. The police officer wounded in the gunfire was treated and released, authorities said.
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The mall was closed Tuesday although people who left belongings there Monday were able to retrieve the items, the newspaper reported.
Bergquist was a "known subject" to local police who was the subject of previous police reports but had no arrests, Boise police Chief Ryan Lee told the Statesman.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}He brought multiple weapons and ammunition to the mall, and 18 used shell casings were found inside the building, the newspaper reported.
The operators of the mall said they were "grateful" for the "quick response" by the Boise Police Department after Monday's gunfire.
"We are heartbroken and are working closely with the Boise Police Department as they investigate the circumstances that led to this terrible tragedy," Boise Towne Square wrote in a Facebook post. "We are grateful for their quick response and continued partnership. This is devastating for our entire community, and our thoughts are with the victims’ family and friends during this unimaginable time."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Police close off a street outside a shopping mall after a shooting in Boise, Idaho, on Monday. (Associated Press)
Lee told reporters Monday that the shooting was reported about 1:50 p.m. and included a report that one person was "shot and down." Panicked people who were inside the mall fled to the parking lot.
When officers arrived, they spotted someone who matched the description of the suspect.
Boise Police Department vehicles sit parked at the scene of a shooting at the Boise Towne Square shopping mall in Boise, Idaho, on Monday. (Reuters)
"There was an exchange of gunfire that ensued shortly thereafter, resulting in the officer's injury, as well as the suspect being taken into custody," Lee said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Terrifying footage shared online shows people running for the exits while what sounds like gunshots can be heard firing off somewhere in the distance.
After the shooting, several witnesses stood in the rain outside the entrance to Macy’s — one of five large department stores at the mall — waiting to be interviewed by police or told they could leave. Patrol cars from several agencies, ambulances, and fire trucks filled a section of the mall parking lot. Officers from the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) were assisting in the investigation.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Cheri Gypin, of Boise, was in the mall with a friend where they walk for an hour three or four times a week. She told The Associated Press she heard several large bangs, but thought something had fallen from the ceiling.
Then about 60 people, including families pushing strollers, came running at them, some of them shouting that there was an active shooter.
"My friend was trying to process it," said Gypin, 60. "I just looked at her and said, ‘We’ve got to run.’ So we just ran and kept running until we got to the outer perimeter of the parking lot."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Law enforcement officers collect evidence near the scene of a shooting at the Boise Towne Square shopping mall in Boise, Idaho, on Monday. (Reuters)
They made their way back to their car, where police told the crowd of people who had fled the mall to leave the parking area.
Boise Mayor Lauren McLean asked members of the public and the news media to give the victims and their families privacy as they deal with the trauma of the shooting. She thanked the law enforcement officers, first responders and others she said worked to keep the community safe.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Countless people found themselves in a situation they never would have or should have expected," McLean said, lauding the shopkeepers and others in the mall for reacting "so quickly to take care of folks that were there. You showed in a tough and chaotic moment how much you care and what you're willing to do to support and care for strangers."
The Boise Towne Square shopping mall is located in Idaho’s largest city and is the city’s largest mall.
Fox News' Dom Calicchio and The Associated Press contributed to this report.