Rupert Man Killed in Boise Mall Shooting
TWIN FALLS, Idaho (KLIX)-The Ada County Coroner has identified the two victims of Monday's Boise mall shooting, among them a Rupert man, in addition, the suspect assailant died at the hospital. Coroner Dotti Owens identified 49-year-old Roberto Padilla Arguelles as one of the people shot inside the Boise Towne Square mall. He had been taken to Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center where life-saving measures were attempted. Rupert was his listed place of residency. The other victim is 26-year-old Joseph Acker, of Caldwell. Social media posts by family said Joseph was a security guard at the mall and is a transgender woman known as Joe. Pictures circulating on social media show Acker in military uniform.
The coroner also identified the suspect shooter as 27-year-old Jacob Bergquist of Boise. He was also taken to Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center and died in the intensive care unit. According to the Boise Police Department, the motive for the shooting is still to be determined.
Boise Police also released more information on the victims who were injured during the shooting. Two were hurt inside the mall, a 52-year-old woman and a 23-year-old woman, both recovering from non-life-threatening injuries. Another victim, a 68-year-old woman was shot inside her car in the parking lot, she was treated for non-life-threatening injuries. A Boise Police officer was hit by shards of glass when his patrol car was shot at, his hat was also hit by the bullet, the officer was treated and released.
Police responded to the mall at around 1:50 p.m. for reports of shots fired and one person down. Boise Police said callers reported a man, dressed in black, in possession of guns, had fired several rounds. The security guard confronted the suspect and was shot. The suspect then shot at a glass escalator, hitting the second victim. Bergquist then continued through the mall shooting at the floor, injuring the two female victims. Another adult male fell while exiting the mall and was injured, he was taken by private vehicle to an area hospital. Shortly after exiting the mall, Berquist was confronted by the Boise Police officer near N. Milwaukee where the two exchanged gunfire. That's when the woman was injured in her car.
Boise Police said they think Berquist acted alone and has no evidence of any further attacks or threats to the public. So far the investigation found 18 spent shell casings inside the mall. The suspect had multiple firearms, although police didn't say how many. Investigators searched a Boise home on Frye Street. Police are working with out-of-state law enforcement regarding the suspect, Berquist.
Here is video from the latest press conference by the Boise Police Department on Tuesday, Oct. 26: