Anchorage police were continuing a search Monday evening for a lone suspect who they say shot three individuals in a tent near Downtown. One of the victims died at the scene, while another was critically wounded and died several hours later. A third victim was reportedly being treated for non-life-threatening injuries.
The Anchorage Police Department got a report of a shooting east of Karluk Street and Fifth Avenue at 6 p.m.
Police found three victims in a tent. They appeared to have been living in the wooded area off Fifth Avenue, according to APD spokesperson Jennifer Castro. She couldn't say whether the three were homeless.
The first victim reportedly died at the scene, while the second died a short time later after being taken to the hospital with life-threatening injuries.
Police had deployed SWAT and K-9 units; they were still searching for the unidentified suspect as of 8 p.m. Monday. He was described as a male with a regular build, and wearing a black jacket with stripes on the back. He was last seen traveling westbound on foot toward Sixth Avenue. The surviving victim later provided police with additional detail about the suspect, reporting that he was more than 6 feet tall, with black or brown shoulder-length hair.
A half dozen police vehicles were parked in the nearly vacant lot, home to the Sugar Shack coffee shop, on Monday evening. Police had taped off the eastern section of the lot, and officers stood watch as others guided canines around the area. Castro said police set up a half-mile search radius and work outward.
A man named Peter, who didn't want to give his last name out of fear for his family, was waiting for a to-go order at a nearby Lucky Wishbone restaurant with his wife when he heard eight to 10 shots ring out, he said.
He said he saw a white male with fair skin wearing a black sweatshirt with a red stripe walk nonchalantly across Fifth Avenue toward the neighborhood of Fairview after hearing the shots.