Alaska News

Anchorage man arrested after shooting at 2 workers he mistook for burglars, police say

An Anchorage man was arrested early Friday after he shot at two workers whom he had mistaken for burglars, according to Anchorage police.

The shooting happened at a business park and industrial lot at 7260 Homer Drive, police said in an online statement. The area is along the Seward Highway just north of Dimond Boulevard.

Police were alerted around 2:30 a.m. of shots fired in the area. No one was injured, police said.

Two men had been working outside on a delivery truck, said police spokeswoman Kendra Doshier.

Joshua Groghan, 40, approached the area, assuming the men were burglars, police said.

"The suspect was standing on top of a front-end loader tractor carrying a handgun and making verbal threats at the two males," police said. "The suspect then fired multiple rounds in their direction."

Doshier said police continued to  investigate the circumstances of the shooting, including why Groghan was in the area. It appeared Groghan didn't know the two men, though police were still investigating, she said.

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Officers arrested Groghan Friday without incident, according to police. He was taken to jail. He faces multiple charges including two counts of third-degree assault, tampering with physical evidence and criminal trespassing.

"Reminder: If you see or hear anything suspicious, call 911 for emergencies and 311 for non-emergencies," police said.

Tegan Hanlon

Tegan Hanlon was a reporter for the Anchorage Daily News between 2013 and 2019. She now reports for Alaska Public Media.

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