Police say they found a painted black cross, with a bullet hole through the middle, on a wall inside the apartment of a Casper man accused of pointing a shotgun at officers.

That man, 52-year-old Richard Winsted, made his first court appearance Thursday, where a judge set his bond at $20,000. Winsted faces charges of aggravated assault and possession of a deadly weapon with unlawful intent.

He could face up to 15 years in prison if convicted of both charges.

The court appearance came one day after Casper police officers arrested Winsted while investigating a bullet hole in his neighbor's apartment. Police say Winsted pointed a shotgun at officers who had entered his dwelling to make sure no one had been injured or killed.

That led to a short standoff before Winsted peacefully surrendered.

Police affidavits released Thursday offers new details into the incident, which happened at about 8 a.m. at Foxhill Apartments on Casper's east side.

Less than one hour earlier, officers responded to the apartment complex to investigate the bullet hole. Police determined the round came from Winsted's apartment, and after knocking and hearing no response, they went inside.

One of the officers reported seeing a man, later identified by police as Winsted, crouched with a shotgun behind a bed, according to one of the affidavits. The officers retreated and reported hearing someone inside the apartment lock the dead bolt.

After more than one hour, police convinced Winsted to surrender peacefully after speaking with him by cell phone.

When they arrested Winsted, police say they found two 12-gauge shotgun shells and a bottle of medication taken by people with sleeping problems in one of his pockets. He appeared to be drunk.

Police found a black handgun and a shotgun in the apartment. One officer saw the black cross painted onto a living room wall. He also found a spent casing stuffed inside a bullet hole in the cross' center, the affidavit states.

The word "Yeshua" was written on the wall above the cross. Some people consider Yeshua to be the Hebrew name for Jesus.

In an interview with a detective, Winsted said he accidentally fired his Desert Eagle 9 mm pistol while cleaning it, according to a separate police affidavit.

"Winsted stated he later heard loud knocking at his door and got scared so he went to his bedroom and got his Mossberg shotgun," the affidavit, signed by the detective, states.

He reportedly went on to say that the shotgun was pointed in the direction of the people who entered his apartment, rather than directly at them.

At his appearance in Natrona County Circuit Court, Winsted told a judge he was on disability and had lived in Casper for 52 years. Prosecutors say he has alcohol offenses, and a weapons offense, in his past.

Winsted remained held Thursday afternoon at Natrona County Detention Center. He is expected back in court within several weeks for a preliminary hearing.

Reach crime reporter Joshua Wolfson at (307) 266-0582 or at josh.wolfson@trib.com.