Man shot in face in Butte

BUTTE — An 18-year-old Palmer man has been arrested for allegedly shooting a man in the face on Saturday at a residence off the Old Glenn Highway in the Bodenburg Butte area.

According to Alaska State Troopers, Michael Armstrong, of Palmer, was charged with attempted murder, first-degree assault, third-degree assault and tampering with physical evidence for the afternoon shooting. He was taken to Mat-Su Pretrial Facility and held without bail. Armstrong is the son of a Frontiersman pressroom employee.

Troopers said in an online dispatch that a call came in at around 1:40 p.m. reporting that a man had been shot and the suspect fled in a vehicle. Troopers said the shooter also allegedly threatened to shoot a woman at the home.

Troopers responding to the incident pulled Armstrong over and arrested him for the crime. During the investigation they said they also found a rifle he allegedly hid in the woods after the shooting.

The shooting occurred at a home just off the highway near Republican Way, where police cars and investigators could be seen Saturday afternoon.

The injured man was not identified in the trooper dispatch. He was taken by ambulance to the Butte Elementary parking lot, where a LifeMed helicopter arrived to fly him to a hospital. He held bandages over his face and appeared to be conscious and able to communicate with paramedics as they wheeled him on a stretcher to the chopper. Troopers said he was in critical but stable condition.

Authorities gave no further details about the shooting Saturday. A trooper spokeswoman said the Alaska Bureau of Investigation is handling the case.

Contact editor Matt Tunseth at 352-2268 or email news@frontiersman.com