Crime & Courts

Man accused of killing Anchorage teenager arrested in Israel

A man wanted in the 2017 killing of an Anchorage teenager has been arrested in Israel.

Haitim Mahir Taha, 21, was arrested Monday by police in Israel, according to the Anchorage Police Department.

Taha has been charged with first- and second- degree murder in the killing of Leroy Lawrence, an East High School junior who was shot on April 7, 2017, and died a few days later.

Taha was found in northern Israel, said police spokesman MJ Thim. He had been staying at his mother's house, Thim said. Police were working with state and federal partners to have Taha extradited to the U.S.

According to The Jerusalem Post, Taha arrived in Israel on July 9, 2017, and has been there since. Thim declined to confirm how long Taha had been in Israel.

"What he was doing there and how long he had been there, hiding out from us, is now part of the investigation," Thim said.

According to Anchorage police, Taha was driving a Chevrolet Monte Carlo with a teenager, Anthony Salazar, in the passenger seat. They were following a Ford Escape that had several people inside.

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When the Ford pulled over near an intersection in Mountain View and people started getting out of the car, Taha and Salazar drove by and began shooting, police said.

Leroy Lawrence happened to be walking by, heading to a friend's house. He was hit by one of the bullets and died days later, according to police.

Lawrence was shot on his 17th birthday, according to a GoFundMe page set up to help the family with medical costs.

Gene Lawrence, Leroy's father, said Monday that he never expected for Taha to be heard from again.

"It doesn't change anything at all," Lawrence said, when asked what the arrest meant to him. "Not a thing for me. I still miss (my son) everyday."

"I'm just happy that (Taha) won't be able to hurt anybody else," Lawrence said.

Salazar, the teenager charged in Lawrence's death, remains in custody at the Cook Inlet Pretrial facility, online records show. Salazar was 16 when he was charged in Lawrence's death. He is being charged as an adult.

Laurel Andrews

Laurel Andrews was a reporter for the Anchorage Daily News, Alaska Dispatch News and Alaska Dispatch. She left the ADN in October 2018.

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