Troopers investigating man shot dead near Willow

MAT-SU — A man died Monday after being shot in the chest at his home on Hiline Lake about 25 miles west of Willow.

John Charles Lamb, 61, was shot in the chest, according to the Alaska Air National Guard, whose members picked him up in a helicopter Monday and performed lifesaving measures all the way into Anchorage, where he was declared dead at a hospital.

Alaska State Troopers are not saying whether the gunshot was self-inflicted or whether someone else shot Lamb.

“Immediate family members, comprised of his wife and two young children, were all at the remote property when the incident occurred,” according to a trooper press statement.

Troopers say they believe they’ve talked to everyone who was connected with the investigation.

“However, the investigative efforts to gain a more clear understanding of the circumstances that resulted in the fatal shooting are ongoing,” according to the AST press release.

Troopers report that soon after the shooting, they believed there was no danger to the public.

Lamb was first reported as having been shot just before 8 p.m., Monday. Troopers couldn’t launch a helicopter, according to a National Guard press release, because they didn’t have a crew. LifeMed Alaska wouldn’t fly in that evening’s weather.

The guard launched its Pave Hawk helicopter at 9:25 p.m. and arrived at the home at 10:07 p.m., and landed back in Anchorage at 11:30 p.m.

Almost immediately, that same crew was sent back out to search for a downed cargo aircraft that had been headed from Wasilla to a mine near McGrath.