Anchorage

Man convicted in Fairview shooting

Elliott Hernandez, 30, was convicted Wednesday of first- and third-degree assault and weapons misconduct for shooting an unarmed man in the neck at a Fairview apartment in January 2013.

Hernandez was hanging around the apartment of an acquaintance when he became upset, pointed a 9mm handgun at the man and threatened to shoot him, according to a statement from the district attorney. When he left the apartment, another man slammed the door, which "further enraged him," the statement said. Hernandez then shot through the door, striking his victim in the neck.

"The bullet entered and exited the man's neck. The man was taken to the hospital and survived," the statement said.

Anchorage police arrested the shooter the next day. Hernandez tried to flee from the police and dropped his firearm in the process. He was eventually arrested and the weapon was recovered. Bob Shem of the Alaska state crime lab compared a shell casing recovered from the crime scene with the weapon and determined it came from Hernandez, the statement says.

Assistant district attorney Christina Sherman said Shem's compelling testimony was a key piece of evidence that helped the jury find Hernandez guilty.

At the time of the shooting, Hernandez was on probation and parole for separate felony convictions stemming from assault and misconduct involving weapons. His criminal history includes 16 convictions, five of which were felonies. He faces 15 to 20 years for Thursday's verdict.

Reach Jerzy Shedlock at jerzy@alaskadispatch.com.

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By Jerzy Shedlock

jerzy@alaskadispatch.com

Jerzy Shedlock

Jerzy Shedlock is a former reporter for Alaska Dispatch News. He left the ADN in 2017.

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