Anchorage police are asking for information from the public after a Spenard-area shooting Thursday night involving an umbrella.
Shortly before 9:30 p.m. Thursday, the Anchorage Police Department said they received “multiple calls” from people who said they heard shots fired around the 900 block of West 27th Avenue.
“The vast majority of the callers did not see anything but heard the gunfire,” said APD spokesperson Renee Oistad in a statement.
Police talked with an area homeowner who said he noticed an umbrella sitting by his fence had disappeared. Then, Oistad wrote, the homeowner saw a man across the street “wearing a mask” and “holding an umbrella.”
The homeowner reportedly asked the masked man if the umbrella was his.
“The masked man replied, ‘It is now,’ and then pulled a gun on the homeowner,” Oistad wrote. “The homeowner retreated, was able to take cover behind a car, and then fired several shots at the masked man when he noticed the suspect was still pointing a gun at him.”
The suspect ran away after the shots were fired. APD created a perimeter and tried a K-9 track.
“The track was difficult, and ultimately unsuccessful, as there was a lot of foot-traffic in the area,” Oistad said.
No charges have been filed as of early Friday afternoon. APD asks that people with information contact the department at 786-8900 and press “0″ to talk to a dispatcher. Anonymous tips can also be submitted via Crime Stoppers by calling 561-STOP or by going online.
