Shooting is third this month for Valley, no arrests

WILLOW — For the third time in a month someone has been shot in the Valley and no one is behind bars for pulling the trigger.

Alaska State Troopers say they are still sorting out what happened in the latest incident, which happened Sunday in Willow.

According to an AST press statement put out Monday morning, the shooting was reported at 8:41 p.m., near Mile 91 of the Parks Highway.

“Two adult males were involved in a physical altercation at the residence,” the report says. “During the altercation, one of the men produced a small-caliber pistol and fired a single shot in an apparent attempt to stop the assault, striking the other male in the head and killing him.”

The victim was identified Monday afternoon as Ronald D. Gunter, 61, of Talkeetna. Trooper policy is to withhold victims’ names until their next of kin can be notified. Gunther’s next-of-kin was out of state at the time of the shooting, hence the delay.

Troopers say they discussed the incident with the Palmer District Attorney’s Office and attorneys there decided troopers shouldn’t arrest anyone just yet. They are withholding the name of the person who pulled the trigger since criminal charges haven’t been filed.

Other than that, troopers had nothing to say.

“No further info is available as it is an ongoing investigation,” spokeswoman Megan Peters wrote in an email.

The case is the third shooting this month in which troopers declined to arrest the responsible person.

On Nov. 3, Joshua M. Lacy, 26, was found dead in a home near Mile 5 Palmer-Fishhook Road. Troopers said at the time they had talked to the person who shot him but decided not to arrest him right away. There was no word Monday on whether charges had been filed.

On Wednesday in a home south of Palmer, an unidentified man was shot in the abdomen but survived.

Similar to Sunday’s incident, the shooting was the result of a fight. Both parties in that altercation had been drinking and smoking pot, troopers report.

“During the altercation, one of the men produced a small-caliber pistol and fired a single shot in an apparent attempt to stop the assault,” troopers say in a press release recounting that shooting.

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