87-year-old Idaho man shot three women in senior center dispute, Caldwell police say

BOISE (Idaho Statesman) — An 87-year-old man who had a history of disputes with three women at a senior living center shot them Thursday — one of them fatally — before killing himself, Caldwell Police Chief Frank Wyant said at a news conference Friday afternoon.

A police officer who responded to the scene also was injured, although it’s not clear how. It’s also not known whether any police officers fired their weapons, according to Wyant.

Roger Nordberg, the suspected gunman, was in an argument with the women that escalated into the deadly violence, Wyant said.

“My heart goes out to the families. This is a tragic event,” Wyant said. “Their lives are changed forever, whether they are as suspects or a victim.”

Wyant said police received a call at 4:19 p.m. to the Portstewart Senior Community apartments along S. 10th Avenue. And he said it wasn’t the first time his officers were called to the complex, having been there for welfare checks, noise complaints and other disputes.

RELATED: Two killed, police officer hurt in Caldwell shooting

Nordberg, 87, was engaged in a dispute with Darline Queen, 76, Juanita Pressler, 79, and Kathleen Schlemmer, 58, according to Wyant. Queen was shot fatally, while Pressler and Schlemmer were shot and are in stable condition, Wyant said.

The police chief said Nordberg was upstairs and the three women were downstairs when Nordberg left and retrieved a 9 mm handgun. Nordberg then fired five shots at the women, who were sitting at a table. Each was hit once, and two shots missed, Wyant said.

Nordberg was located in a room at the complex with a self-inflicted gunshot wound, the police chief said.

“CPD had a prior history of disputes with Roger Nordberg and Kathleen Schlemmer. We had been out there a couple times in the past,” Wyant said. “Kathleen had a temporary protective order against Roger in September of 2019. It was not active as of (the shooting).”

Nordberg also had a history of disputes with Queen, Wyant said.

The Caldwell officer who was hurt has been with the force only nine months, Wyant said. He was treated at a hospital and released.

Canyon County Sheriff Kieran Donahue said the investigation into the shooting is still ongoing, and there is a parallel Critical Incident Task Force investigation being run by the Sheriff’s Office because an officer was hurt.