Crime & Courts

No injuries in Sunday drive-by shooting in Midtown Anchorage

Anchorage police say a limo bus was struck by multiple rounds in a drive-by shooting in midtown early Sunday morning.

Police responded to several calls about the shooting around 3 a.m. They say residents in the area of Arctic Boulevard and 47th Avenue reported "several different shooters" fired multiple shots at a limousine bus.

The Anchorage Limo and Sedan bus, described by police as a 20-passenger short bus or party bus, held 17 people at the time of the shooting. However, all but one of the occupants fled the bus when it came to a stop in the Wendler Middle School parking lot, where police say they contacted the driver.

No one was reportedly struck during the drive-by. The sole occupant who stayed behind told police that the bus was hit with 10 rounds.

"The one witness told police that the group had been at Al's Alaska Inn for about two hours prior to the shooting," police reported in a Monday news release. "The witness was unaware of any dispute that may have occurred at the club and didn't know why anyone would be shooting at the bus."

Al's held an afterparty for the hip-hop concert AK Summer Jam on Saturday night.

The unidentified witness also said three vehicles surrounded the bus when the shots were fired, though police are unsure if all three were involved in the shooting.

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Police closed down streets around Arctic and 47th while they photographed the scene and collected more than 30 shell casings from four different guns, according to the news release.

Alaska Limo and Sedan business manager John Glasgow said the party bus was purchased a year ago, and this is the first incident to mar his operations. He said the business is safe; it uses the bus for kids' parties, too.

"I'm really hoping this doesn't affect the future of the business," Glasgow said. "We're in shock."

He said the bus will either be repaired or replaced.

The incident is under investigation. The Anchorage Police Department is asking anyone with information on the incident to call 786-8900.

Jerzy Shedlock

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

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