The FBI is asking for help in locating the gun they believe was used to murder Petty Officer 1st Class James Hopkins and retired Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer Richard Belisle last month at the Coast Guard Communications Station.
Investigators want to speak with anyone who might have sold or traded a .44-caliber revolver in the last year, specifically a Smith and Wesson model 29, a Smith and Wesson model 629 or a .44 magnum Taurus model. FBI Spokesperson Eric Gonzales says the agency is searching statewide for information that will lead them to the murder weapon.
The FBI has contacted gun dealers in Kodiak and questioned several people who had booths at a local gun show in March. Two weeks ago the Coast Guard Investigative Service recruited over 120 members of the community to search for the weapon along Aton Larsen Bay road and in an area in Bell’s Flats.
Officials have been tight-lipped about the investigation. A suspect has yet to be identified; however the FBI has assured Kodiak residents that they’re safe.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI.
Jennifer Canfield is a reporter at KTOO in Juneau.
