Alaska State Troopers say a Willow man was fatally shot Monday night, after a dispute over carrying firewood escalated to violence.
Jared Higgins, 31, is charged with second-degree murder and three counts of third-degree assault in the death of John Sibole, 49, according to an online dispatch.
In a charging document against Higgins, troopers say they responded at about 9:15 p.m. Monday to a home on North McKinley Way, where Higgins had been renting a room since late January. Sibole was declared dead at the scene.
Sibole’s wife told troopers that she had visited the home with three of her children to help clean and move firewood. She said she asked Higgins to help but he refused, leading to an argument during which they shoved each other.
Afterward, she said, she left and called her husband, Sibole, to tell him what happened.
Sibole then went to the home with his son, troopers said. The son told troopers he followed his father inside.
“When he entered the house, he heard yelling and John say in essence ‘You can’t put your hands on my wife!’” troopers said. “Immediately after, (the son) heard a single gunshot come from inside the residence.”
The son stepped outside to call Sibole’s wife and report the shooting.
When the wife and son later entered the home along with one of its residents, they found Sibole lying in the hallway outside Higgins’ room. They told troopers he was suffering from an apparent gunshot wound to the stomach.
“While they were on the ground next to John, Jared was holding a pistol and pointing it at (them),” troopers said.
Higgins told troopers that after the initial altercation with Sibole’s wife, she had said Sibole was on his way. He said that after she left, he removed his handgun from its case and placed it on his bed.
Higgins told troopers he was lying on his bed when Sibole entered the room. He said Sibole pulled him by the ankle and struck him several times on his head.
“Higgins then grabbed the pistol, cocked it (effectively loading a round into the chamber), and shot John in the abdomen,” troopers said. “John did not say anything to Higgins during the altercation.”
Higgins also told troopers he still had the gun in hand when he left the room. He denied aiming at anyone else, saying he kept the weapon pointed at the floor. But troopers said the resident and Sibole’s relatives were heard during a 911 call “yelling at Jared to stop pointing his firearm at them.”
Troopers said Higgins admitted to smoking marijuana that evening. He also said he was familiar with state law regarding self-defense — which allows use of deadly force if a person “reasonably believes” it necessary to prevent death, serious injury, kidnapping, robbery or sexual assault — and was able to distinguish between lethal and non-lethal force.
“Higgins stated something to the effect of punching would be too far and that he went for the gun,” troopers said. “Higgins recounted a time he was nearly struck by a vehicle, in Anchorage. As the vehicle was leaving, Higgins fired a gun at the vehicle.”
Investigators saw redness on Higgins’ right ear and a small scratch below his right eye, but no other injuries.
Higgins is being held at the Mat-Su Pretrial Facility.
