A 21-year-old man is accused of killing another man in an Utqiagvik shooting that police say occurred during an argument.
Douglas George Spear Jr. is charged with first-degree murder in the killing of Barrow Dan Akootchook, according to charging documents. North Slope Borough police responded to the Transit Street home where the shooting took place just before 4:30 a.m. Saturday.
A criminal complaint against Spear, written by police Sgt. James Michels, was based on an account from an intoxicated girl who told police that "she witnessed (Spear) shoot (Akootchook) in the face with a shotgun." Police found Akootchook dead of an apparent gunshot wound to the face when they entered the home.
"(The witness) further stated the defendant attempted to shoot her as well; however, missed," Michels wrote.
Spear and the girl had been at the residence for a party, she told police. The shooting took place when Akootchook mentioned methamphetamine and entered an argument with Spear, she said.
Spear wasn't at the home when investigators arrived, leading them to seek an arrest warrant for him. By Monday afternoon, a statewide inmate database showed him in custody with borough police.
North Slope Borough police directed questions about Spear's arrest to an Utqiagvik spokesman, who did not respond to calls for information.