MEADOW LAKES -- Alaska State Troopers say they found two people dead at a home near Wasilla after gunshots were reported around 8:30 a.m. Monday.
Troopers released little additional information Monday about the victims or circumstances surrounding the shooting, saying only it remained under investigation.
Reports of the two deaths rattled residents of North Autumn Lane, a quiet, forested subdivision with numerous horse farms and views to the Talkeetna Mountains.
The home where the shooting occurred is a neat, light brown two-story house where woodsmoke could be seen wafting from a chimney Monday morning.
The first hours after the incident were marked by heavy trooper presence of a half-dozen marked vehicles and a perimeter to keep media and neighbors away from the property where the shooting occurred. A troopers helicopter swooped low over adjacent properties but also circled directly over the property. A Matanuska-Susitna Borough Animal Care and Regulation truck pulled into the driveway around mid-morning. An officer with Animal Care and Regulation took a dog into protective custody at troopers' request, according to a statement from borough spokeswoman Patty Sullivan. The dog was later released to an authorized person.
Mat-Su emergency crews were initially called to the home and asked to stage at a nearby fire station at Pittman Road, even at one point instructed to go inside the station rather than sit in their vehicles due to the possibility of a suspect at large. They were released after troopers discovered the victims were deceased.
One resident who pulled into the subdivision after being gone all morning was escorted inside by several troopers, who checked to make sure the empty home was secure.
By noon, however, troopers investigators left the property and much of the police presence disappeared, including the helicopter.