The Anchorage Police Department wants the public’s help finding a suspect at large in the shooting death of a man near a homeless camp on Thursday morning.
Police did not provide a name or description of the suspect. They did share this photo. A spokesperson said they think it’s a man.
Some details in the photo may be helpful, like the bike’s oversized seat and what appears to be a red wire basket over the front wheel, or what appears to be a silver water bottle or spray can with a teal lid visible in the backpack.
Police have not yet named the victim, who was shot once Thursday morning and declared dead at the scene. A spokesperson says the victim will be publicly identified in the next 24 hours, after next-of-kin notifications.
Police were responding to a report of a single shot fired around 10:15 a.m. along 5th Avenue, where the downtown, Fairview and Mountain View neighborhoods meet.
Police set up a perimeter and searched for the suspect, which included using a drone, but weren’t successful.
They’re asking anyone with information about where the suspect is to call 911. People with information about who the suspect is should call 907-786-8900 and press 0. Information can also be shared anonymously at AnchorageCrimeStoppers.com.
It’s unclear what connection, if any, the suspect, victim and homeless camp had to each other. Police declined to say if the victim had a fixed address.
Academic researchers have long found that people without homes are the victims of violence at extraordinarily high rates compared to the general population.
An Anchorage man was arrested last week and charged with firing a shotgun at people at an encampment in Midtown. At another nearby camp in June, a man was shot and killed. Two people were charged with murder.
Also in June, a man was arrested and charged with sexually assaulting a woman in her tent near a city park. Investigators think the same man is connected to a second attack that was reported in the same area.
Jeremy Hsieh covers Anchorage with an emphasis on housing, homelessness, infrastructure and development. Reach him atjhsieh@alaskapublic.orgor 907-550-8428. Read more about Jeremyhere.
