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Eldora shooting update
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The Boulder County Sheriff's Office has released additional information in their ongoing investigation of the shooting incident at the Eldora Mountain Resort Tuesday morning.
From the supplemental press release dated December 30th:
"Statements from witnesses at the Eldora Mountain Resort indicate that the suspect entered a locker room area at the “pumphouse” where several employees had gathered for a daily pre-shift morning meeting. The suspect allegedly produced a handgun, fired a single shot into the ceiling in an apparent attempt to gain their attention, then made a statement about his religious beliefs, and challenged the other employees about theirs. The victim, identified by resort officials as Brian Mahon, 49, a manager at the ski area, entered the room, evidently drawn by the sound of the gunshot. The suspect confronted him immediately, shooting him twice before fleeing the scene.
The suspect has been identified by the Boulder County Coroner’s Office as Derik A. Bonestroo, 24, a seasonal employee of the resort and a resident of Nederland. Though the motive for his shooting is as yet unknown, interviews with friends and family indicate that Mr. Bonestroo had been suffering recently from significant emotional distress. Mr. Bonestroo had no appreciable criminal history of record."
After a brief car chase, Mr. Bonestroo pulled his car over and began firing at pursuing officer, Deputy Siefert, who returned fire. It was initially believed that the suspect died from shots fired by Deputy Siefert.
Another supplemental release dated December 31st stated that the cause of death in the case of Mr. Bonestroo was determined to be self-inflicted gun shot wounds. Deputy Siefert's return fire injured the suspect, but were not the cause of death.
A motive has not yet been established. Interviews are being conducted with friends, family members, witnesses, co-workers and acquaintances to determine Mr. Bonestroo's state of mind at the time of the shooting.
Bonestroo graduated an honor student and an accomplished athlete from Lyons High School in 2003. Witnesses who had encountered him more recently claim that he seemed sleep deprived, troubled and fixated on religion.
The victim, Brian Mahone, is survived by his wife and two children.
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