Teens' house party in South Anchorage turned into shootout, police say

A South Anchorage party attended by teenagers became a gunfight early Tuesday, leaving one juvenile wounded and another facing possible charges, according to Anchorage police.

Several dozen people had been inside the home on the 1600 block of Tammy Avenue, off the Old Seward Highway near Huffman Road, when a second group of juveniles arrived, Anchorage Police Department spokeswoman Renee Oistad said in a statement. Police at the scene of the shooting Tuesday had said the second group wasn't invited to the gathering.

"One of the partygoers, and one of the people from the newly arrived group, got into an altercation," Oistad wrote. "As a result of that disagreement, a physical fight ensued which grew to involve approximately 10 people. That led to multiple gunshot rounds being fired from more than one person; shots were fired both inside and outside of the home."

Officers who were called to the home at 2:39 a.m. found numerous people and vehicles leaving the area. Less than 15 minutes after the initial call, police were informed that the juvenile victim had shown up at a local hospital with a gunshot wound to the torso. Police were able to speak with the victim, who was treated and released.

Charges against one minor in the incident were referred to the state Division of Juvenile Justice, Oistad said Wednesday. A second minor, who had been hosting the party while a parent was away from the home, was remanded to the McLaughlin Youth Center on an unrelated outstanding warrant.

Oistad didn't have any word Wednesday on what spurred the initial altercation. Although police found that some people at the party had been drinking liquor, Oistad said no citations for minors consuming alcohol had been filed Tuesday.