The man who shot and killed two people at the Boise Towne Square mall a year ago and injured others before killing himself while surrounded by police was prohibited by federal laws from possessing a firearm.
But the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives didn’t reach that conclusion until after Jacob Bergquist had gone on his fatal shooting spree, even though local police had notified ATF about Bergquist five months before the shooting.
“ATF did receive information concerning Jacob Bergquist’s possession of firearms from local law enforcement and ATF did look into whether or not he was prohibited federally from possessing firearms,” Jason Chudy, ATF public information officer, wrote in an emailed statement to the Idaho Statesman. “It was determined that he was prohibited from possessing firearms, but that was only confirmed after the Boise shooting had occurred.”
