A man accused of murder in a deadly Oct. 10 gunfight outside a Muldoon bar now faces additional charges of shooting two unarmed people who survived, police say.
A grand jury on Tuesday handed down charges of attempted murder and first-degree assault against 25-year-old Lee Chee Chang. Police previously accused Chang only of a single shooting: The killing of Emilio Ramirez, 35, just outside the door of J.J.'s Lounge.
The fight began with an argument inside the bar, spilling into the parking lot and Muldoon Road. By the time police arrived minutes later, two people were dead and two injured.
One of the dead men, Ka Meng Chang, is Lee Chee Chang's brother, a defense lawyer said. Ryan Laulu, 31, is charged with that killing.
Laulu had come to the bar at the request of Ramirez, who was afraid he was going to be get "jumped" following an argument inside, charges say. Ramirez handed Laulu a revolver, according to the charges.
But as detectives interviewed witnesses hour after hour and prosecutors began filing charges in Anchorage Superior Court, one question remained throughout the case. Who shot the two people who survived?
The indictment returned Tuesday points the finger at Chang, who police say was in the bar when the argument began.
"He shot both of them, and both of them were unarmed," said Lt. David Parker, a police spokesman.
One survivor, Trudie Simon, was struck in the "upper torso," said homicide Detective Slav Markiewicz. She remains hospitalized, he said.
Witnesses have described Simon as Ramirez's girlfriend.
The other survivor, Tracy Clark, was a bar patron who came to the aid of Ramirez, Markiewicz said. Clark was struck in the arms, he said. "It was my understanding that he didn't spend a lot of time in the hospital."
The indictment includes a total of nine charges against three people: Lee Chee Chang, Laulu -- who is accused of shooting and killing Chang's brother --- and 29-year-old Vang Yeeleng Chang, who is charged with assault, evidence tampering and weapons misconduct.
There were more than two firearms at the scene of the shootings, but police have not said if they believe anyone else fired a shot in the melee.
"We recovered a number of weapons," Markiewicz said, "As far as the calibers and which guns were used, we have to wait for the ballistics and the evidence from the state lab to be processed."
Asked if authorities expect to file any additional charges in the case, Markiewicz said the "main charges" have now been filed.
"We are not looking for any outstanding suspects at this time, we are not looking for any additional persons" he said. That could change if new information becomes available.
Twitter updates: twitter.com/adn_kylehopkins. Call Kyle Hopkins at 257-4334 or email him at khopkins@adn.com.
By KYLE HOPKINS
Anchorage Daily News