Families rocked by deadly shooting, standoff

WASILLA — Fred Heilman and Michael Zagars used to be friends.

Taking fishing trips, sharing a beer and just being buddies had been common with the neighbors. But that friendly relationship unraveled over the past two years. The men became bitter enemies and their feud culminated Saturday when Heilman allegedly shot and killed Zagars, then took his own life following a nearly 24-hour standoff with Alaska State Troopers.

Two families rocked by the losses of life are now trying to answer questions while dealing with the pain of losing their loved ones.

Danielle McManus, one of Heilman’s daughters, drove to Wasilla from Fairbanks with her husband Saturday evening after Heilman called to tell them he’d just shot a man. McManus said Heilman wanted to tell them goodbye, although he gave no indication he was considering suicide.

“I didn’t know what he was going to do,” McManus said Monday.

Police were first called to East Porcupine Trail Saturday around 5:30 p.m. to investigate a report of a shooting. By the time troopers arrived, Zagars was dead and Heilman had barricaded himself in his home but was in contact with officials by telephone. Because of the standoff, Zagars’ body was not removed from the scene until 9:30 p.m., troopers report.

As the standoff played out over the weekend, officials said they did not storm Heilman’s home because they were told he had multiple weapons inside. Trooper Col. Audie Holloway said troopers wanted to bring the standoff to an end peacefully and would negotiate with Heilman as long as it took to attempt to resolve the situation without further violence.

A single gunshot around 4:30 p.m. Sunday — Heilman shooting himself after he emerged from his house — ended the standoff.

All that’s left now is for both families and a Wasilla neighborhood to try to come to terms with the tragedy.

Heilman’s family said it holds no ill-will toward the Zagars and is sympathetic for the family’s loss.

“We feel really bad for the other family,” McManus said. “Really bad.”

Loren Rupe, who said Zagars’ children are staying with him, said Zagars was selling his house on East Porcupine Trail and moving to another neighborhood to get away from Heilman. He said Zagars’ children were playing football with friends Monday afternoon, trying to distract themselves from the tragedy at least for awhile. Rupe added the Zagars boys’ mother died seven years ago, although he didn’t know how.

Heilman’s family, who said they knew of the feud between the men, are at a loss to understand how it could have escalated to a deadly level.

Court trail

In court documents obtained by the Frontiersman, Zagars, Heilman and another neighbor, Dennis Hobbard, detail claims of harassment and threatening behavior in the neighborhood over the course of the past two years.

In one report, Zagars claims he was temporarily blinded by a red laser coming from Heilman’s house one evening. Zagars told police he suspected the lazer was from a rifle-mounted scope. Zagars also wrote in the report that Heilman had shot at his dog and pointed guns at him.

In his own reports to police, Heilman claims Zagars challenged him to fights and used his dogs to intimidate him. He also wrote that Zagars would drive at him at fast speeds in a truck, narrowly missing.

Whether the allegations made by both men are true is unclear. All three men had sought protective orders from one another — Zagars and Hobbard from Heilman and Heilman from Zagars. The requests were denied, according to court documents,

Hobbard, the other neighbor to file a report against Heilman, told police he feared for his family’s safety after what he calls escalating threats of violence from Heilman. Hobbard also writes in his complaint that Heilman shined a laser into his home.

Both Hobbard and Zagars complain of Heilman videotaping the streets from a camera hidden behind tinted windows and using a public address system to harass neighbors.

Details about how the friendships between Heilman and his neighbors dissolved vary. In their requests for protective orders, both Zagars and Hobbard said they distanced themselves from Heilman after his behavior began to concern them. Both said they feared for their families.

Bob Mann, who lives next door to Heilman, said Sunday evening he had warned Zagars to stay away from Heilman. Mann said Heilman was known to carry two handguns on his person.

“I just kept telling Mike to stay away,” Mann said.

Heilman’s daughter, McManus, said her father had a license to carry the weapons and did so after on-the-job injuries left him unable to defend himself.

For her, the worst part of the weekend is the senseless losses for both families.

“It’s a tragedy because neither families have a father anymore,” McManus said.

As of Monday, officials haven’t made a determination of what caused Saturday’s violent confrontation, AST spokeswoman Megan Peters said, although an investigation is ongoing.

“Considering both parties are deceased, it’s going to be really hard to pinpoint what transpired,” Peters said.

Contact Michael Rovito at michael.rovito@frontiersman.com or 352-2252

Andrew Wellner contributed to this report.