In Memory

Christopher S Berglund - Class Of 2004 VIEW PROFILE

Jul 24, 1985 - Jan 13, 2004
 

Fatal shooting shatters family, community

For the first 15 minutes, they stood silent.
 
As more candles were lit, and more members of the community began to congregate, melodic sounds came over the speakers and it was no longer quiet. But it was not the music in the background that broke the silence. It was the sound of painful breathing and whimpering that is accompanied by tears.

At a Wednesday night vigil in the quad of Claremont High School, students from ages 14 to 18 years old who held not only lit candles, but flowers and each other, courageously stood at a shrine created in memory of their friend, Christopher Berglund, who was accidentally shot and killed by a family member Tuesday night.

At around 9:15 p.m. on Tuesday, January 13, Claremont Police Officers responded to the 3300 block of Duke Avenue in response to a 911 call of a possible accidental shooting. Upon arrival, 18-year-old Christopher was found inside the residence with a severe gunshot wound to his head.

The Los Angeles County Fire Department responded and treated Christopher before he was transported to Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center where he was pronounced dead at 9:54 p.m.

The initial investigation revealed that Christopher was accidentally shot once by a family member, who believed that the .357 magnum revolver was not loaded.  Lieutenant Stan Van Horn of the Claremont Police Department said the gun was not registered.

"If a gun has been in a family for many years, as this one was, there is no legal requirement to register it," Lt. Van Horn explained.

It is Lt. Van Horn's understanding that Christopher, his father and his brother were all in the living room together at the time of the shooting. As reported by Lt. Van Horn, the victim and the shooter were facing each other, standing only 6 to 8 feet apart. All 3 males thought the gun was empty, when in fact one bullet remained.

"It was an incredible string of bad circumstances," Lt. Van Horn said.  Claremont police delivered a complete report regarding the Berglund case to the Los Angeles County district attorney's office that will determine sometime next week what charges, if any, will be brought against the responsible person(s).

The Berglund family moved to Claremont from Orange County in 1998 and Chris attended El Roble Intermediate School before going to Claremont High School. Due to his skill and love of music, fellow students shared that Chris, fondly called "Birdman", was given the opportunity to DJ school events. His plan was to attend California State University, Sonoma, upon graduation.

A senior at CHS, Chris was recognized as having a versatile personality, delighted mostly by music and sports. He played basketball for the high school since his freshman year and performed on the court as a forward for this year's varsity team.

According to CHS principal Carrie Allen, Christopher was one of the lunchtime disc jockeys, partaking in a variety of campus activities. On the morning of the 14th, Ms. Allen and staff members called crisis counselors to the campus, as well as utilizing the schools' own counselors to treat both students and instructors for trauma.

"The teachers and students are just devastated," Ms. Allen reported the morning after the shooting.

It was said of Christopher, #24, by Head Basketball Coach Mike Bateman, that although Chris didn't get to play a whole lot of games, he put forth a whole lot of support and spirit for the team.

Mr. Bateman first met Christopher when he walked on the school's basketball court as a freshman, eager to join the Wolfpack team.

"He came on the court with an afro, a headband and a smile," Mr. Bateman remembers.

Mr. Bateman, who left CHS during Christopher's sophomore and junior years, returned Christopher's senior year and was glad to have him join the school's varsity team.

"He was the hardest working kid. He never gave me any excuses and he was a good example to his teammates," Mr. Bateman shared.

After hearing of Christopher's death at around 11 p.m. Tuesday night, a meeting was scheduled for coaches and players, some who had already heard the news and others who hadn't, to meet with counselor Kirby Palmer, who has assisted the school previously in other crisis situations. The group met at the Youth Activity Center before school Wednesday morning.

"For about two hours we shared our feelings about what happened, our memories and our emotions," Mr. Bateman said.

The team opted to take the rest of the day off, away from classes, and chose to hang out in the gym together shooting baskets, talking, crying and offering each other emotional support.

Mr. Bateman decided it was best to cancel Wednesday night's game against Rancho Cucamonga. "I didn't think the boys were emotionally ready. I know I didn't feel like coaching a game tonight [Wednesday]. Basketball is not as important as what we're dealing with as a school."

According to Mr. Bateman, a jersey with the number "24" will accompany the team for the rest of the season in honor of Chris. The coach and his team plan to sign the jersey, and present it to the Berglund family at the season's finale. 

 
Regarding Chris, a lasting memory for Mr. Bateman is the last conversation he had with Christopher after basketball practice, just hours before he died. "Chris told me that he understood why he wasn't playing in a lot of games. He was injured and he was working a lot. But, he told me that he still cared about the team and wanted them to play hard and win games," Mr. Bateman said. 
 
Chris was remembered at Friday night's game against Etiwanda, as his teammates dedicated the game in his honor. "He will never be out of our hearts and thoughts," said Mr. Bateman.

Trayza Garcia, assistant manager at the Starbucks in the Village, where Chris worked for several months, said he was a great worker and quite the comedian.  "If anyone ever needed help covering a shift he was always there to help. He was outgoing and great with customers," Ms. Garcia reported.

Fellow worker and shift leader Aaron Lawson seconded Ms. Garcia's remarks and added that Chris recently obtained a record contract to produce his beats.  "He would joke around and make beats at work and give himself different DJ names like "DJ Iceberg" and "DJ Clutch"," Mr. Lawson said.

The news of Chris's death was obviously a shock to Mr. Lawson, who worked with him almost every shift.

"When I came into work and they told me about Chris, I was speechless. I thought it was a joke and I didn't know what to say," Mr. Lawson shared. 
 
Visibly choked up and numb over the loss of their longtime friend, Paul Naser and Phil Herrera bravely composed themselves as they shared what the mood was like on campus Wednesday morning.

"Ms. Allen announced what happened [to Chris] over the intercom and I couldn't handle it. I walked out of class," Phil said.

As he made his way to the Career Center where counselors were stationed, he noticed the volume of students who shared in his grief.

"There were so many people there. It was amazing to see how many people he impacted," Phil added, wearing a black ribbon on his shirt, supplied by the student council paying tribute to Chris.

Poster boards with photos of Chris, surrounded by flowers, were set up at the "Horseshoe", a section on campus where the seniors hang out, for all to sign as a way of paying respect and saying goodbye to their fallen friend.

Grim in his report, a smile did break out on Paul's face when he spoke about Chris's very likable personality.

"He had funny little remarks, made up his own words. He could always bring up the mood," expressed Paul fondly of a friend he will undoubtedly miss.

Phil added, "He was distinctive in his words and actions. He didn't care about what people thought of him."

Paul, who was joking with his buddy Chris about playing a little one-on-one the day of the fatal accident, said his brother Hani, also a good friend to Chris, had just got off the phone with him about 10 minutes before the incident.

"I was eating dinner and we got a call saying something happened to Chris," Paul reported. "My friends called me about 10 minutes later from the hospital and told me he was shot."

According to Jack Harper, CHS director of student affairs, the senior class council organized Wednesday night's vigil, buying candles, making signing boards with photos of Chris, distributing black memorial ribbons for students to wear, and compiling a CD of songs appropriate for the event. Allowing the music to speak for the moment, senior class president Raeanne Alliapoulos said the songs chosen reflected loss and healing.

"Because music was such a big part of Chris's life, I thought it was appropriate to have music. I think it helped the kids release emotions they had throughout the day," Mr. Harper said.

In his 20-plus years working at the high school, and as a CHS graduate himself, Mr. Bateman said he has never witnessed this kind of tragedy followed by such a tremendous amount of compassion.

"Absolutely not. This is a first for me. I've never experienced anything like this," he said.

And from that experience, the power of Claremont High's youth shone. The demonstration of support for each other and the compassion displayed toward Chris's family, who attended the vigil, were evident.

Those who attended Chris's vigil represented various members of the community including several city staff and school board members, principals from other schools, Mayor Paul Held, and those closer to Chris' his friends, their parents and his fellow students.

A memorial service is scheduled for Sunday, January 18, 2004 at noon at Temple Beth Israel, 3033 N. Towne Ave., Pomona.

~ Salina Ronderos
 

No charges filed in accidental shooting:

It was decided by the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office that no criminal charges will be filed in the case regarding the accidental shooting of Christopher.  The fatal shooting occurred on Tuesday, Jan 13, 2004 at the home of Ruskin Berglund, Christopher's father.  According to Deputy District Attorney Gail Ehrlich, after careful review, it was determined that harm was not the intention of the father who owned the gun, or the minor who fired the gun.  "Evidence suggests Mr. Berglund believed he successfully unloaded the gun.   He was wrong, and the result of the error has been a tragedy for the family", Ms. Ehrlich said.  According to Ms. Ehrlich, to file charges, evidence would need to show that the responsible party was acting in an aggravated or reckless manner. According to the evidence and statements collected by Claremont Police Officers, the district attorney's office concurred that the shooting was not a flagrantly negligent act.  "Any punishment imposed by the court would not compare to what he's (Ruskin) giving himself," she said.

Christopher, an 18-year-old Claremont High Schoolstudent was both a disc jockey and basketball player at CHS.  Services, attended by nearly 500 people, were held for Chris at Temple Beth Israel on Sunday, Jan 18th.



 
Teen's loss, community's generosity is felt at local Starbucks:
 
Christopher Berglund, the 18-year-old Claremont High School senior who was accidentally shot at his Claremont home last week, had friends everywhere.
 
That people cared about the young man-known for his sportsmanship on the CHS basketball team and for his lively stint as a lunchtime disk jockey on campus-was amply demonstrated during the past week.It could be seen in the tears of his fellow students at a candlelight vigil held at the high school on the night of Wednesday, Jan 14th.   It could be seen in the sheer numbers of people who attended his funeral, a crowd that reportedly reached about 800.
 
And it could be seen in spades at the Claremont Starbucks where Chris worked for the last year of his life.
 
According to Robin Whelan, a shift supervisor at the Village coffeehouse, Starbucks staffers found out about Chris' death on Wednesday morning. Shattered by the loss of their popular and upbeat co-worker, the associates decided they wanted to do something to honor him. By late afternoon, they had put together "Chris' Fund", a place where Starbucks regulars and community members looking to make sense of the tragedy could pay their respects to Chris, and contribute money to help his family.

"We made a little donation box with one of our aprons and with Chris' picture and asked if people wanted to donate to ‘Chris' Fund'," Ms. Whelan said.  "And people were very generous. The community of Claremont just poured their hearts out to Chris' family in mass force. It was incredible to see."
 
By Sunday morning, around $2,100 had been deposited in the fund's money that the manager of Starbucks, Denise Monteith, delivered personally to Chris' mother, Cindy Berglund, later that day.

Ms. Whelan was as touched by the funeral, which all of the Starbucks partners attended, as she was by the concern that customers showed for Chris.

"It was a very moving and memorable service. The rabbi did an exceptional job," she said.

According to Ms. Whelan, 3 eulogies were delivered at the service. The first, which received a standing ovation was given by Chris' best friend Jordan Bullock. The other two came from Chris' aunt, Gail Kaufman, who shared stories of Chris' youth and Starbucks partner Shawn Mansouri read a letter he wrote to Chris saying if he had a little brother, he'd want him to be just like Chris, "stubborn and wonderful."

"Chris Fund", was a temporary measure, but there is still a pall felt by Chris' co-workers, who have strong memories of their friend and who think of him each time they see the large picture of young Berglund that is posted on the Starbucks wall. The picture will stay up for a while longer, Ms. Whelan said, out of respect for a stand-out worker and person: "People are still coming in and asking what happened."
 
For the last year, Chris made everyone's job a little more pleasurable, the shift supervisor shared.
 
"It was his first job and Chris was just a great kid-a lot of fun to work with," she recalled. "His humorous side was always coming out, even in stressful situations."

 While remaining Starbucks workers could be seen making lattes and cappuccinos, Ms. Whelan pointed out what is perhaps the only positive side, for her, of Chris' loss.

"It is definitely a terrible tragedy that has saddened all of us. But it actually has bonded all of us close together," she said. "We don't take each other for granted now. The whole chemistry has changed. We're tighter than ever before; we're like family."

~ Sarah Torribio-Bond

 



Remembering Chris

Before Friday night's game, CHS varsity basketball coach Mike Bateman read a tribute, written by he and basketball player Trilo Kidambi, in honor of his former player Chris Berglund who was accidentally shot and killed last Tuesday, January 13. Chris' road jersey was given to his younger brother, Josh, who will sit on the bench with the team for the remaining games. Chris' home jersey will be placed on the bench as well. A signed basketball, with about 100 signatures from the boys' and girls' basketball teams, was presented to Chris' family. His number, 24, will be retired at the end of the season.
 
At a Wednesday night vigil in the quad of Claremont High School, students from ages 14 to 18 years old who held not only lit candles, but flowers and each other, courageously stood at a shrine created in memory of their friend,Christopher Berglund, who was accidentally shot and killed by a family member Tuesday night.
 
At around 9:15 p.m. on Tuesday, January 13, Claremont Police Officers responded to the 3300 block of Duke Avenue in response to a 911 call of a possible accidental shooting. Upon arrival, 18-year-old Christopher was found inside the residence with a severe gunshot wound to his head.
 
The Los Angeles County Fire Department responded and treated Christopher before he was transported to Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center where he was pronounced dead at 9:54 p.m.
 
The initial investigation revealed that Christopher was accidentally shot once by a family member, who believed that the .357 magnum revolver was not loaded.

Van Horn's understanding that Christopher, his father and his brother were all in the living room together at the time of the shooting.As reported by Lt.

The Berglund family moved to Claremont from Orange County in 1998 and Chris attended El Roble Intermediate School before going to Claremont High School. Due to his skill and love of music, fellow students shared that Chris, fondly called "Birdman", was given the opportunity to DJ school events.His plan was to attend California State University, Sonoma, upon graduation.

 
A senior at CHS, Chris was recognized as having a versatile personality, delighted mostly by music and sports.He played basketball for the high school since his freshman year and performed on the court as a forward for this year's varsity team.
 
According to CHS principal Carrie Allen, Christopher was one of the lunchtime disc jockeys, partaking in a variety of campus activities.

According to Mr. Bateman, a jersey with the number "24" will accompany the team for the rest of the season in honor ofChris.

"Chris told me that he understood why he wasn't playing in a lot of games.

Chris was remembered at Friday night's game against Etiwanda, as his teammates dedicated the game in his honor.

Fellow worker and shift leader Aaron Lawson seconded Ms. Garcia's remarks and added that Chris recently obtained a record contract to produce his beats.

"When I came into work and they told me about Chris, I was speechless.

"Ms. Allen announced what happened [to Chris] over the intercom and I couldn't handle it.

It was amazing to see how many people he impacted," Phil added, wearing a black ribbon on his shirt, supplied by the student council paying tribute to Chris.

Poster boards with photos of Chris, surrounded by flowers, were set up at the "Horseshoe", a section on campus where the seniors hang out, for all to sign as a way of paying respect and saying goodbye to their fallen friend.
Grim in his report, a smile did break out on Paul's face whenhe spoke about Chris's very likable personality.

Paul, who was joking with his buddy Chris about playing a little one-on-one the day of the fatal accident, said his brother Hani, also a good friend to Chris, had just got off the phone with him about 10 minutes before the incident.

"I was eating dinner and we got a call saying something happened to Chris," Paul reported.

According to Jack Harper, CHS director of student affairs, the senior class council organized Wednesday night's vigil, buying candles, making signing boards with photos of Chris, distributing black memorial ribbons for students to wear, and compiling a CD of songs appropriate for the event.

Tonight at 6:30pm there will be a vigil for Christopher Berglund, 18, a CHS student who was shot and killed yesterday, Jan. 13th.





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