An Anchorage man is charged with attempted murder after allegedly shooting his estranged wife multiple times while she was with another man in a vehicle parked at a popular lookout early Sunday.
Court records show Isaiah N. Savok, 27, also faces charges of first- and third-degree assault in the incident, during which police say he also rammed the vehicle off a nearby road.
It happened about 3:15 a.m. Sunday, according to a police statement.
In a charging document against Savok, the woman told police her relationship with him had deteriorated over time, and that he had assaulted her in the past, though she hadn’t reported it. The woman said that prior to the shooting, she had been at a downtown bar before leaving to pick up the man, and they had parked in the lot at Point Woronzof Park, which overlooks Cook Inlet. Savok had tried to call her repeatedly, she said, so she blocked his number.
After about 15 minutes, the woman told police, Savok pulled up alongside the passenger side of their SUV in a pickup. When he saw them, he punched the side of the vehicle, then went back to his truck and pulled out a handgun, the charges say.
“Savok started to shoot her side of the car and shot her several times,” prosecutors wrote. “As they were able to drive away, she tried to call 911 but her hands were so covered in blood it was hard to call.”
During the call, the charges say, the woman told dispatchers she was bleeding out. The call ended as the dispatchers heard additional gunshots.
At that point, the man in the SUV was driving, with Savok following behind in his pickup and eventually ramming the SUV, according to the charges. Once the SUV stopped spinning, the man told police, he hid until he saw flashing lights because he was afraid Savok would shoot him.
After the collision, the woman told police Savok picked her up, put her in his truck and said he would drive her to the hospital. On the way, she was able to grab Savok’s handgun and throw it out the window, at a point where police later recovered the weapon, the charges say.
Police said they stopped Savok about three miles east of Point Woronzof, in the Turnagain neighborhood near Northern Lights Boulevard and Forest Park Drive. Officers had to apply multiple tourniquets to the woman as they administered first aid, according to the charges. Hospital staff later found four gunshot wounds in her legs, one in her back and one in her wrist.
“Doctors reported that her left knee was shattered,” prosecutors wrote in the charging document.
Savok told officers at the scene that he had “blacked out in rage” when he saw the woman in the SUV, the charges say.
“Savok admitted to detectives that he used his 10mm bear gun to shoot into (the vehicle) after he saw (the woman) with another man,” prosecutors wrote. “He shot into the passenger side of the car where (she) was sitting until the clip was empty and agreed it was reasonable to think someone might die or get hurt badly.”
The woman is expected to survive her injuries, police said. The male victim suffered minor injuries in the collision but declined medical attention.
Savok was listed in custody Tuesday at the Anchorage Correctional Complex.
If you are a victim of domestic violence and are looking for resources, you can call AWAIC’s 24-hour support line at (907) 272-0100.
A full list of Alaska shelters and victim’s services providers can be found here.
Chris Klint is a web producer and breaking news reporter at Alaska Public Media. Reach him at cklint@alaskapublic.org. Read more about Chris here.
