Crime & Justice

6 wounded, 1 critically, in morning shooting outside downtown bar

Six people were wounded, one critically, in an early morning shooting Sunday outside a downtown after-hours club, Anchorage police said.

Officers were called to the Kodiak Bar, 225 E. Fifth Avenue, at 4:25 a.m. for a reported shooting, the police department said in a news release.

Victims told police that a group of family and friends were standing outside the Kodiak when an argument between one person and two suspects led to gunfire.

Six people were hit. According to police, Jonah Silva, 20, received a life-threatening gunshot wound to the abdomen. As of Sunday evening, police spokeswoman Anita Shell said, he was still believed to be in critical condition.

Randi Popalii, 33, was shot in the foot. Willie Popoalli, 34, was shot in the back. Dorothy Tialino, 20, was shot in the shoulder.Tasi Silva, 21, was shot in the waist and knee. Derrick Parson, 21, was shot in the forearm. None of their wounds were considered life-threatening by police.

Police are looking for two male suspects.

The Kodiak stays open after normal bar closing hours as an "after hours" club offering food and music -- but no alcohol -- until 5 or 6 a.m., the establishment says on its Facebook page. A planned name change to Club Nocturnal is in the works.

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The victims did not know the suspects before the morning of the shooting, police spokeswoman Shell said.

On Sunday, police closed Fifth Avenue between Cordova and Barrow streets for hours while APD crime scene investigators worked.

The Kodiak was closed. An apparent bloodstain remained on the sidewalk near the corner of East Fifth Avenue and Barrow Street.

Michelle Theriault Boots

Michelle Theriault Boots is a longtime reporter for the Anchorage Daily News. She focuses on in-depth stories about the intersection of public policy and Alaskans' lives. Before joining the ADN in 2012, she worked at daily newspapers up and down the West Coast and earned a master's degree from the University of Oregon.

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