BY MAIRE O’NEILL
maire@losalamosreporter.com

A 40-year old Los Alamos man was charged April 1 with shooting at a dwelling or occupied building – no bodily harm, negligent use of a deadly weapon – discharge, negligent use of a deadly weapon – intoxication and criminal damage to property – under $1,000. Zachariah Michael Bergstrom.

Los Alamos Police were dispatched to the Wingate Hotel on Trinity Drive shortly after midnight following reports of gunshot there. According to Magistrate Court documents a hotel staff member she had heard a single muffled discharge of a firearm. Officers checked the area and Cpl. Joseph Robinson headed up to the second floor after another shot was heard. Officers could hear Robinson on the radio but couldn’t understand some of what he was saying.

When officers arrived on the second floor they observed that Robinson had his firearm pointed at Bergstrom who was kneeling with his hands behind his back and had placed his firearm on the floor. Cpl. Jaime Gonzalez’s report indicates that Bergstrom told police he was, “Imaging people”. Asked how much he had to drink, Bergstrom responded, “A lot”. He indicated that he had. “A lot”. He indicated that he had “shot towards the ceiling and the floor? Officers observed multiple bullet holes through the window and screen as well as holes in the curtains.

When booked into the County Detention Center, Bergstrom’s presumptive blood alcohol level was alleged to be .17. Bergstrom was placed on pre-trial conditions of release by Magistrate Judge Catherine Taylor that included surrendering his firearms.

Late afternoon on April 1, LAPD posted photo of their Evidence Technician Cpl. Samantha Terrazas on their Facebook page retrieving evidence from the top of a lift. Although there was no mention of where the evidence was being collected, the building pictured was quickly identified by community members as the Los Alamos County Judicial Complex and it was assumed that one or more of the bullets fired by Bergstrom had hit the building. Deputy Chief Rodriguez declined to answer questions by phone from the Reporter but required submission of a written request for records under the Inspection of Public Records Act for the officer’s incident report. This is a new requirement from LAPD. More information on the incident will be published as it is made available.