A man shot and killed another man in the parking lot of a South Anchorage sports complex Saturday during an argument between parents, according to a charging document.
Luke Charles Simonson, 36, faces murder charges in the death of Timothy Grosdidier, 45.
Multiple children witnessed the shooting outside of the Fox Hollow Golf Course & Sports Dome on Brayton Drive, according to the charges. Police received numerous 911 calls reporting the shooting around 11:45 a.m. Saturday.
According to the charges, the incident began when Grosdidier’s wife accused Simonson of nearly hitting one of her children in the parking lot.
Accounts included in the charging document diverge on what exactly happened next.
The charges say that Simonson told police he heard shouting as he was pulling out of the parking lot with his wife and young child after soccer. Simonson had a handgun in his pocket. He said both Grosdidier and his wife were yelling. He told police that Grosdidier then came around the front of his truck. Simonson got out of the truck, "immediately drew his weapon" and pointed it at Grosdidier. He said the two began to argue.
According to Simonson, Grosdidier “kept coming at him,” the charges say. Simonson told police Grosdidier did not have a gun, but he felt Grosdidier was “a threat to him and his family.” He said he shot him multiple times.
Grosdidier’s wife told police that her husband was still walking around the truck when Simonson got out, and that Simonson was “looking for a fight.”
Another witness told police that Grosdidier did move aggressively toward the truck but never got past the front of the vehicle. According to the charges, the witness said Simonson shot Grosdidier without any warning or commands.
The charges also reference dashboard camera footage from another person in the parking lot. Police said the video showed that as Grosdidier reached the front of the truck’s driver’s side, Simonson got out and immediately shot him. Grosdidier turned away, and Simonson advanced, firing multiple times.
The video then showed Grosdidier’s wife walking toward her husband, who was on the ground. Simonson pointed his handgun at her, and she put her hands in the air and backed away.
The charges say an off-duty officer was in the parking lot and found Grosdidier on the ground with multiple gunshot wounds to his chest and stomach. The officer tried to save Grosdidier, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.
On Monday, the sports complex was open and an employee declined to comment, saying staff wanted to let police complete their investigation.
Simonson is being held at Anchorage Correctional Complex on charges of first- and second-degree murder as well as third-degree assault. His next court appearance is scheduled for Thursday.
