In Kotzebue, three teenagers have been arrested and charged with second-degree murder following the shooting death of Joshua Sours III.
Twenty-seven-year-old Sours was found with a gunshot wound on Friday, after Kotzebue Police and paramedics responded to a report that someone had been shot on Second Avenue around one in the morning. The victim was taken to the hospital and pronounced dead, according to press releases from the Kotzebue Police Department.
Charged with the fatal shooting are Brandon M. Nelson, Tony Jackson, and Frank J. Jackson Jr. — all of whom were arraigned Monday at the Kotzebue Trial Court. In addition to second-degree murder, all three men face charges of first-degree robbery and tampering with physical evidence.
Nelson is just 17-years-old, but Kotzebue Police say he was “automatically waived to adult status,” given the seriousness of his alleged crimes. Tony Jackson is 18, and Frank J. Jackson Jr. is 19. Their bail is set at $1 million.
Sours’ next of kin was notified after his death, and the State Medical Examiner’s Office is scheduled is perform an autopsy.
Laura Kraegel covers Unalaska and the Aleutian Islands for KUCB . Originally from Chicago, she first came to Alaska to work at KNOM, reporting on Nome and the Bering Strait Region. (laura@kucb.org / 907.581.6700)
