Man acquitted of murder jailed for drive-by shooting

PALMER -- A Wasilla man who was acquitted of murder five years ago in Montana was recently imprisoned for a drive-by shooting in the Valley, according to court records.

Christopher Showen, 25, was accused of shooting Carl Storkson of Olney, Mont., in the back of the head in 1999. A high-profile case ensued that detailed the active drug use and violence of a group of teen-agers in the small town of Whitefish, Mont.

Showen went on trial for the murder of Storkson but was acquitted of all charges after a jury found him not guilty. After the trial Showen reportedly moved to California.

But on May 9, Showen showed up at a party near the intersection of the Glenn and Parks highways at 2:30 in the morning.

According to a trooper affidavit, Showen got into an argument with a young woman at the party and, after getting into a friend's car to leave, leaned out the passenger-side window with a handgun and fired several shots into the air.

While the vehicle was spinning its tires, Showen pointed the gun at the woman and shot several rounds in her direction. The woman, whose name was not released, said she jumped behind her car when the shooting started because she was in fear for her life.

The woman and a friend followed Showen to Fish Heads Bar after the incident. Once there, they told security what had happened and called the state troopers. Showen was arrested at the bar after troopers found a .32- caliber semiautomatic handgun on him, with one round in the chamber and an empty magazine. Troopers also recovered seven .32-caliber shell casings from the gravel pit where the shooting took place.

Showen was originally charged on four counts -- first-, fourth- and fifth- degree misconduct involving weapons and third-degree assault. But on Aug. 20 three of those charges were dismissed, including two felony charges, and Showen agreed to plead no contest to fourth-degree misconduct involving weapons, a class A misdemeanor.

Showen was sentenced to one year in prison for the misdemeanor charge, with zero days suspended. He is currently being held at the Cordova Center in Anchorage.

Contact John Davidson at john.davidson@frontiersman.

com.