Teen charged in shooting of friend

PALMER -- Sixteen-year-old Shane Harapat will be arraigned Monday in Superior Court on a second-degree murder charge in connection with the February shooting death of his friend Kenneth Alcantra.

A grand jury convening in Palmer courthouse last week also brought indictments for manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide.

Alcantra, 16, was in Harapat's home when he was shot in the shoulder by Harapat, who allegedly had been playing with a .44-caliber revolver. Alcantra was not directly facing Harapat when the gun fired, but there's no evidence that Harapat shot on purpose, according to the district attorney's office.

If convicted for second-degree murder, Harapat would face between 10 and 99 years in prison. The crime also carries a fine of $500,000.

Manslaughter is punishable by up to 20 years and criminally negligent homicide carries a maximum of 10 years.

Kenneth Alcantra's father, Joseph, was one of seven witnesses who testified before the grand jury. His son had worked the previous summer at the Alaska State Fair in Palmer, and helped his father build the family's house in Wasilla.

Harapat, a former Palmer High School rifle team member, remained free pending his arraignment. Police have said his parents and sister were in the Palmer home when the shooting occurred. Shane Harapat made the call to 911.

The grand jury indictment said Harapat knowingly engaged in conduct that resulted in his friend's death "under circumstances manifesting an extreme indifference to the value of human life."