A grand jury declined to indict a Wasilla teen on manslaughter charges Monday following an alleged shooting, killing a man, during a Wasilla house party.
WASILLA , Alaska - A grand jury declined to indict a Wasilla teen on manslaughter charges Monday following an alleged shooting, killing a man, during a Wasilla house party.
According to charging documents, a 17-year-old teenager shot and killed 21-year-old Dominic James Murray during a birthday party on April 27. The teen was initially charged with first-degree assault and fourth-degree misconduct involving weapons, but on Monday, a grand jury declined to indict them. According to charging documents, the teen fatally shot Murray during a birthday party at the house that the teen lived in while they were practicing gun self-defense techniques.
According to the affidavit, nine people were at the residence at the time, but none of them witnessed the shooting. Murray was transported to Mat-Su Regional Medical Center before being airlifted to Providence in Anchorage. Wasilla Police note that Murray did not make statements regarding what led to the shooting, but told police that he was unable to feel his legs and was afraid to die.
According to the criminal complaint, the 17-year-old and Murray had known each other for about three years, and the teen stated that Murray was a best friend. The affidavit notes Murray lived in a camper on the same property as the teen.
“Per Officer Holmgren, the teen made spontaneous utterances while in his presence to the effect of ‘I can’t believe I shot my best friend! ’ ‘I can’t believe I shot him,’” the criminal complaint stated. The documents go on to say that the teen told Wasilla police that the two of them did not check to see if the gun had a bullet in the magazine before “pointing it at each other and pulling the trigger.
” The 17-year-old also told police that they believed they was acting recklessly with the firearm, according to the documents. Alaska’s News Source reached out to both the prosecution on the case, who said that the teen is not being charged as an adult. The attorney said that everything is confidential at this point and in the future. Alaska’s News Source also reached out to the defense, but did not hear back as of publication.
On Monday, Alaska’s News Source spoke with someone at teen’s residence, where the party took place. They declined to comment. According to the Wasilla Police Department, firearm-related violence is relatively uncommon for the department to investigate. The department added that this is the first homicide, outside of officer-involved shootings, involving a firearm that the department has investigated since before 2020.
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