Alaska News

Trial date set in 2012 shooting in Northwest Alaska

Kiana's Teddy Kyle Smith is set to face a jury on Nov. 17, more than two years after his arrest for allegedly shooting two hunters on the Squirrel River while on the run from Alaska State Troopers.

Smith, 47, is charged with two counts of attempted murder, two counts of first-degree armed robbery, two counts of second-degree theft, one count of weapons misconduct and two counts of first-degree assault with a weapon, all of which are felony charges. The charges stem from a September 2012 incident in which Smith fled from troopers in Kiana after he apparently fired a gun at residents, according to a trooper report. The search for Smith following the incident lasted nearly two weeks. Smith was arrested while floating down the Squirrel River in a stolen raft two days after he allegedly shot two hunters -- brothers Chuck and Paul Buckel -- at a cabin, troopers said at the time.

A dozen troopers flew in aircraft and rode in boats during the search and located Smith about 35 miles upriver from Kiana.

Troopers were staged along the river and waited for Smith to float to them. He was arrested without incident.

The trial was set to occur this past spring but got delayed, said district attorney John Earthman from Nome last week.

"The defense raised a motion questioning his competency to proceed so we had to stop what we were doing and get that done," Earthman said. "There's no point in doing a trial on somebody that would be a potential problem down the road."

Smith was found competent enough to stand trial, he added.

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While there are two weeks booked for the trial in Kotzebue, Earthman said he doesn't think it will take that long.

"The case involves the current allegations that happened over a pretty significant period of time," he added. "It's going to cover a fair amount of ground, but I don't think it's necessarily going to take all that long to put the evidence in front of the jurors."

According to trooper reports at the time, Smith was intoxicated and armed while at his mother's house, and when first responders arrived, fired a gun toward a group of people. A warrant was issued for his arrest on assault and weapons misconduct charges.

Smith was not seen again until the altercation with the two brothers on a hunting trip nearly two weeks later.

According to trooper reports at the time, the Buckel brothers arrived at a small cabin upriver from Kiana in the evening. They found another man, later identified as Smith, already occupying the space, troopers said.

Smith allegedly shot Charles Buckel in the chest, then ordered Paul to load the hunters' raft with their gear. Smith then left in the raft allegedly shooting Paul Buckel in the shoulder before he left.

The injured men were able to radio for help from a VHF in the cabin, and a message was relayed to the Kotzebue Police Department. Troopers responded at daylight to medevac both men for immediate medical attention.

Later that day, the Buckels' inflatable raft was spotted from the air, five miles downriver from the cabin. Troopers from Kotzebue gathered in Kiana with members of the Special Emergency Reaction Team, and community members to ultimately bring Smith in.

Of the 1,000 or so cases that Kotzebue and Nome get each year, few are quite this serious, Earthman offered, adding that the delays aren't unusual.

"It's too bad it couldn't be done in the spring, but I expect we'll have it done in November."

Smith is currently in custody at the Anvil Mountain Correctional Center in Nome.

This story originally appeared in The Arctic Sounder and is republished here with permission.

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