Man charged after gunfire in apartment

DOVER, N.H. -- Police seized firearms and ammunition from an apartment complex and arrested one resident whose walls had at least 30 bullet holes.

Michael R. Steward, 19, was arraigned yesterday on charges of reckless conduct and possessing a firearm without a serial number, police said. They said he fired a .22-caliber rifle inside his apartment.

Firefighters responding to smoke at the complex Wednesday night found the firearms, nine rifles, a handgun, silencers, ammunition magazines, and ammunition ranging in size from .22-caliber to 12-gauge.

Police also found 30 to 50 bullet holes in the apartment's walls, a Confederate flag with a racial epithet written in black marker, a vest with four steel plates, and instructions on how to construct bombs and silencers for guns. A computer monitor had a bullet hole in the screen.

There also appeared to be evidence of animal killings in the apartment, including two cats, police said.

Police evacuated all 12 units in the building.

The bomb squad was initially called to the apartment because of fear that the material found inside was used to make bombs, Dover Police Chief William Fenniman said.

State police later determined the material was used to make silencers for firearms.