A 21-year-old suspect is facing several charges after a shooting spree that took place in Anchorage. One woman passed away after the incident and four other people are in critical condition, as Yahoo News reports.
What are the details?
A vase with white flowers was put below a shattered window of the former state office building near which Jaclyn Welcome, 37, passed away early on Saturday.
There are many details unclear about the incident that took place on Gambell Street between Fourth and Fifth avenues, including what could have started the shooting and whether the victims were random or chosen intentionally.
Police officers took Anthony Herring into custody on Saturday. The four people who got hurt were still in hospital on Sunday, as stated by Assistant District Attorney Saritha Anjilvel while Herring’s court hearing was taking place on Sunday. On late Sunday charging documents had not yet been made public.
The police received an emergency call for the incident at about 2:45 a.m. on Saturday, the department revealed in a statement posted online.
According to police Chief Ken McCoy, a large group of people had gathered at the intersection with Fourth Avenue on Saturday when an altercation started between two vehicles and the shooting began.
Officials have not said whether the injured people were targeted by the suspect, or they simply got caught in the exchange.
Two women and three men were taken to hospital for treatment. One of the women passed away after arriving to the hospital.
Gambell Street between Fourth and Fifth avenues was closed for gathering evidence for most of Saturday. The people in the area told a reporter they had heard suspicious sounds and shouting.
Herring has been identified by the authorities as a suspect “through the course of investigation.” He was arrested late on Saturday.
His bail has been set at $250,000 cash performance and $100,000 cash appearance. The suspect must also stay away from any groups of homeless people, Judge David Bauer said.
Mike Macias, who described the woman who had passed away as his wife, told a reporter at the scene that they were homeless. The woman’s sisters said Herring’s actions were “pure evil” at the trial and they felt that what happened was senseless.
“She was a mother, daughter, and sister who wanted nothing more than to reconnect with her family. There's absolutely nothing anybody can do to bring my sister back,” Desiree Montenegro, one of the sisters, said after the tragic incident in Anchorage.