Butte shooting hospitalizes man

BUTTE — A man is in the hospital with life-threatening injuries after an early morning shooting Wednesday, according to Alaska State Troopers.

The shooting happened about 2 a.m., May 27, when a group of five to 10 men showed up at a residence near the intersection of Bodenburg Loop and the Old Glenn Highway and caused a disturbance, according to troopers.

When the men refused to leave, a resident opened fire with a handgun, seriously injuring one man. The other men — authorities are still working to confirm how many — fled.

Troopers did not respond to a question about whether drugs or gang activity played a role in the shooting.

The injured man was still receiving care at an Anchorage hospital Thursday afternoon, according to troopers spokesman Tim DeSpain.

The property owner listed in Mat-Su Borough records was not involved in the shooting, he said. The relationship between the property owner, and the people involved in the shooting is, remains unknown, DeSpain said.

The shooting marks the second shooting in a year in the Butte community. A November 2014 shooting near a convenience store claimed the life of a young mother after a sham kidnapping went awry.

Contact Brian O’Connor at 352-2269, brian.oconnor@frontiersman.com, or on Twitter @reporterbriano.

Kaden Weaver contributed reporting for this story.