A woman accused of driving an SUV drunk into Fort Wainwright’s main gate Monday and fatally injuring a soldier who tried to stop her has been charged with second-degree murder, manslaughter and DUI.
Fairbanks police said in a statement that they apprehended Brianna Lapp, 31, in the death of Pfc. Arturo Alejandro Gomez, 29, at about 5 p.m. Monday. Police say she had sped eastbound on Gaffney Road toward the main gate, driving in and out of ditches and over medians and colliding with two vehicles along the way.
“So when the first FPD officer arrived at the scene, there were several military personnel that had their rifles pointed at the Toyota 4Runner,” said police spokesperson Teal Soden.
She said Tuesday that Lapp was trapped in the SUV after it came to a rest slammed up against a concrete barricade.
“The 4Runner had significant damage and was stopped with the driver’s side up against a Jersey barrier,” Soden said. “And (Gomez) was on the ground behind the vehicle.”
Gomez served as a infantryman assigned to Fort Wainwright’s 1st Battalion, 5th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Brigade Combat Team.
Police say after they apprehended Lapp, she had slurred speech and a strong odor of alcohol about her. Soden said a breath-sample analysis showed Lapp was extremely intoxicated.
“The breath alcohol content that she had nearly two hours after the incident was over three and a half times the legal limit,” Soden said.
‘Devastating impact on the unit,’ brigade commander says
The main gate was closed after the incident and reopened at noon Tuesday. Lapp was charged with manslaughter and DUI and held at the Fairbanks Correctional Center. Prosecutors later added the second-degree murder charge. In her arraignment Tuesday, bail was set at $1 million.
Meanwhile, Fairbanks police continue their investigation into a case that Chief Ron Dupee calls tragic.
“The death of Private First Class Arturo Gomez was senseless and preventable,” he said. “I find it incredibly tragic that this young man who has joined the military service was senselessly run down here in the country that he signed up to protect.”
The 1st Infantry Brigade Combat Team’s commander, Col. Christopher Brawley, said Gomez showed great promise since he joined the Army a year ago and arrived at Fort Wainwright in February.
Brawley said in a news release that “The loss of Pfc. Gomez has had a devastating impact on the unit. We are doing our best to support his family, friends and fellow soldiers in the aftermath of this tragic and senseless incident.”
Dupee added that it was an all-too-common tragedy that didn’t have to happen.
“It’s one of those crimes that is truly preventable,” he said. “We all have the opportunity to take a ride — call somebody, Uber, take a cab, a Lyft. There’s a million different ways to get home, rather than putting the key in the ignition and driving.”
Fairbanks police are asking anyone who witnessed the crash or has information about what happened to contact the department at 907-450-6500.
Tim Ellis is a reporter at KUAC in Fairbanks.
