BOULDER — Derik Bonestroo's confrontation with fellow workers at Eldora Mountain Resort appeared to be a well-planned scheme to kill co-workers who were not Christian, according to investigators from the Boulder County Sheriff's Office.
Bonestroo's "demeanor and tactical style clothing" had all the indications that the 24-year-old Bonestroo carefully planned the face-to-face showdown, according to documents filed Wednesday in Boulder District Court.
Chris Fiegel, a detective in the Sheriff's Office, interviewed employees who were at the ski area's pump house Dec. 30 when Bonestroo fatally shot Brian Mahon, the resort's general manager. Fiegel also interviewed other Nederland- area residents who were confronted by Bonestroo.
That morning, the 6-foot- 2-inch, 200-pound-plus lift operator drove to Eldora Mountain Resort, where a number of lift operators had gathered for an assignment meeting in the pump house.
One of the employees at the meeting, April Wilson, told investigators that Bonestroo walked in dressed in black, carrying a gun, and fired into the ceiling, according to the documents.
He then declared: "If you're not Christian, you're going to die," Wilson said.
At that point, Wilson said, everybody started running out the back door to get away. As she ran into the woods, the 24-year-old Wilson heard an additional four or five shots.
Wilson ran along the Nordic trails of the resort and was finally able to catch a ride to the Nederland Police Department.
In the minutes that followed, Bonestroo engaged in a gun battle with a sheriff's deputy just outside of Nederland. The deputy hit Bonestroo but didn't kill him; Bonestroo committed suicide by shooting himself.
In the car, investigators found that Bonestroo had a "drop-down magazine holster" strapped to his left thigh and a "drop-down gun holster" on his right thigh.
Bonestroo was clutching a Glock semiautomatic handgun in his right hand.
A check of the room he rented in Nederland resulted in the discovery of a blood-splattered room and Bonestroo's dead cat, according to investigators.
They retraced his steps and found that he had spent Christmas Eve with his parents in Longmont. Officers looked into the room where Bonestroo stayed and saw several rifle cases. The parents also told police that when he moved out in November, their son had two handguns.
The morning of the shooting, Bonestroo stopped at the Nederland home of Cynthia Davis about 6:45 a.m. and asked where her next-door neighbors were, according to the court documents. Davis told Bonestroo that they had moved out a few days before.
Davis thought that Bonestroo, clad in black and with the handgun and knife strapped to his leg, was a police officer.
But she did not see any sign of a badge or law enforcement logo, she told Fiegel.
Bonestroo's "demeanor and tactical style clothing" had all the indications that the 24-year-old Bonestroo carefully planned the face-to-face showdown, according to documents filed Wednesday in Boulder District Court.
Chris Fiegel, a detective in the Sheriff's Office, interviewed employees who were at the ski area's pump house Dec. 30 when Bonestroo fatally shot Brian Mahon, the resort's general manager. Fiegel also interviewed other Nederland- area residents who were confronted by Bonestroo.
That morning, the 6-foot- 2-inch, 200-pound-plus lift operator drove to Eldora Mountain Resort, where a number of lift operators had gathered for an assignment meeting in the pump house.
One of the employees at the meeting, April Wilson, told investigators that Bonestroo walked in dressed in black, carrying a gun, and fired into the ceiling, according to the documents.
He then declared: "If you're not Christian, you're going to die," Wilson said.
At that point, Wilson said, everybody started running out the back door to get away. As she ran into the woods, the 24-year-old Wilson heard an additional four or five shots.
Wilson ran along the Nordic trails of the resort and was finally able to catch a ride to the Nederland Police Department.
In the minutes that followed, Bonestroo engaged in a gun battle with a sheriff's deputy just outside of Nederland. The deputy hit Bonestroo but didn't kill him; Bonestroo committed suicide by shooting himself.
In the car, investigators found that Bonestroo had a "drop-down magazine holster" strapped to his left thigh and a "drop-down gun holster" on his right thigh.
Bonestroo was clutching a Glock semiautomatic handgun in his right hand.
A check of the room he rented in Nederland resulted in the discovery of a blood-splattered room and Bonestroo's dead cat, according to investigators.
They retraced his steps and found that he had spent Christmas Eve with his parents in Longmont. Officers looked into the room where Bonestroo stayed and saw several rifle cases. The parents also told police that when he moved out in November, their son had two handguns.
The morning of the shooting, Bonestroo stopped at the Nederland home of Cynthia Davis about 6:45 a.m. and asked where her next-door neighbors were, according to the court documents. Davis told Bonestroo that they had moved out a few days before.
Davis thought that Bonestroo, clad in black and with the handgun and knife strapped to his leg, was a police officer.
But she did not see any sign of a badge or law enforcement logo, she told Fiegel.
