Crime & Courts

Man dies after shooting in downtown Anchorage early on New Year’s Day

A 39-year-old man was killed in a shooting just after midnight Monday in downtown Anchorage, police said.

Officers arrived at the scene near Fourth Avenue and D Street, near the Avenue Bar, and found the victim after a 12:16 a.m. call about shots fired.

They identified him as 39-year-old Timothy Smith and said he'd been shot multiple times.

Smith had been out with his partner celebrating New Year's Eve, according to social media posts and an account from a woman who knew him, Jai Hasty.

Police initially released no information about a suspect. After identifying Smith as the victim, they asked witnesses to contact police homicide detectives.

Authorities also want to speak with the occupants of a silver Chevy TrailBlazer that police said was in the area around the time the shooting occurred. They're also looking for people who recognize the vehicle.

Police aren't saying whether the Trailblazer's occupants were somehow connected to the shooting. Authorities released no information Monday that explained why Smith was killed.

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Smith left behind two sons, one 20 years old and the other 17, said Hasty, their mother.

In a message, Hasty described Smith as "talented and energetic." According to a 1996 article in the Anchorage Daily News, Smith was a record-breaking long-jumper when he attended Dimond High School.

"No one knows who I am," Smith told a reporter after winning a 1996 regional meet. "I'm just trying to make a name for myself. But, I have to admit, I am stunned I'm even here."

Smith fixed cars and was, overall, a "handy man," Hasty said. She added that he'd met "the love of his life," a woman named Mariah.

Late New Year's Eve, a woman whose Facebook account identifies her as Mariah Faithe posted a photo on Smith's page. It appeared to show the two together, standing on the sidewalk not far from where the shooting took place.

"The night is still young as we are! Here's to another year!" she wrote. "Happy 2018 New Year babe!"

If you have information about the TrailBlazer, police said, call 907-786-8900 and press zero, or to stay anonymous, call Crime Stoppers at 561-STOP.

The shooting death was Anchorage's first of the new year. The city set a record with 35 homicides in 2017.

[Anchorage sets record for homicides in a single year]

Nathaniel Herz

Anchorage-based independent journalist Nathaniel Herz has been a reporter in Alaska for nearly a decade, with stints at the Anchorage Daily News and Alaska Public Media. Read his newsletter, Northern Journal, at natherz.substack.com

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