BOISE, Idaho — The man who shot and killed two people and injured three Monday at Boise Towne Square walked into the Idaho State Capitol in April, carrying a gun, and admitted that he was a convicted felon, according to an Idaho State Police report.
In the redacted report, Idaho State Police Trooper James Love wrote that on April 2, 2021, Jacob J. Bergquist entered the statehouse with a holstered handgun on his hip, admitted he had a felony conviction in Illinois, and told the receptionist for Gov. Brad Little that he wanted to interview the governor about his thoughts on persons convicted of felonies being able to carry guns. According to the report, Bergquist also said he was "trying to get the word out to others that they too could carry in Idaho."
The trooper said he asked Bergquist why he was armed if he was a felon, and that Bergquist replied by saying he could under Idaho code 18-310, and that the trooper should check it out.
The ISP trooper referred information from the investigation to the Ada County Prosecutor's Office, and asked that the office investigate potential charges for violation of Idaho Code sections 18-3316 (unlawful possession of a firearm) and 18-310.
Bergquist was not charged in connection with the statehouse incident.
A court record from Cook County, Illinois, shows that in 2012, Bergquist was charged and found guilty of retail theft, a third-degree felony in Illinois. The record also shows that he was fined $709.
KTVB asked the prosecutor's office for comment on the case. Public information officer Emily Lowe said Ada County prosecutors could not take any action against Bergquist for carrying a firearm because the Illinois theft was not on the list of felony convictions that prohibit firearm possession under Idaho law, found in Idaho Code Section 18-310.
Bergquist was also convicted in 2011 of marijuana possession in Wisconsin, and a misdemeanor judgment of conviction was entered in that case.
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