Number of people believed to have been shot Monday rises to three

WASILLA — Three people were shot, one beaten, and two homes were invaded Monday night but Alaska State Troopers are still having trouble linking all of the incidents together.

Details late Monday night were sketchy. They came into slightly more focus Tuesday morning. The latest element of the saga to emerge: two men showed up at Mat-Su Regional Medical Center that evening suffering from what troopers say appear to have been gunshot wounds that left them in critical condition.

“Two males showed up at Mat-Su Regional around 7 p.m. last night suffering from what appears to be gunshot wounds. They’re considered ‘walk-ins.’ They’re in critical condition. Because of their condition and medical treatment, troopers haven’t been able to talk to them to find out how or where the shooting took place,” trooper spokeswoman Beth Ipsen wrote in an e-mail.

Also on Tuesday, troopers released official statements regarding the two home invasions that happened within hours of one another.

Starting with the first incident here’s what troopers are saying:

At 4:10 p.m. a call went out for officers to respond to a home at Mile 8.5 Wasilla-Fishhook Road — two and a half miles south of the road’s juncture with Palmer-Fishhook Road.

“Investigation revealed that two unidentified males walked into the residence through an unlocked front door and attacked a woman and her son living at the residence. The men fled on foot. The woman suffered non-life threatening injuries,” the press release states.

Troopers at the scene brought in a tracking dog, which led them to an area where the suspects appeared to have entered a vehicle and drove off.

As for the second incident, here’s what troopers say:

At 6:50 p.m. officers went to a home near the intersection of Palmer-Wasilla Highway and Trunk Road. At an apartment there they found a man who had been shot multiple times.

“Two males reportedly entered the apartment and threatened the occupants. The male occupant suffered multiple gunshot wounds during the incident,” according to the press release.

Troopers say the wounded man fired a gun at his assailants before they fled. He was taken to Mat-Su Regional Medical Center with serious injuries.

As of 5 p.m. Tuesday, Ipsen said troopers were still unsure if the three incidents were related.

“We still haven’t been able to conclusively link the three events,” Ipsen wrote.

Contact Andrew Wellner at 352-2270 or andrew.wellner@frontiersman.com.