Ambler Gunfire Delays Visit By Gov. Sean Parnell

Alaska State Troopers arrested a man in Ambler Monday after he allegedly went to the local airfield and randomly fired a gun, causing Gov. Sean Parnell to delay a scheduled visit to the community.

According to AST spokesperson Megan Peters, a trooper responded to a local home for a reported domestic-violence shooting incident Monday morning. The trooper was conducting an interview with a woman at the scene when the man drove by in a vehicle, then headed to the airfield and began firing his weapon.

Update: On Tuesday, a trooper’s dispatch identified the man arrested as Shawn Johnson, 24, and Peters confirmed his age. Troopers said Monday’s incident started around 8:06 a.m. when troopers responded to a report of a man shooting a gun near the Happy Valley subdivision in Ambler.

Johnson took off on a Honda ATV when approached by troopers and headed towards the airport. AST reported hearing multiple gunshots coming from the direction of the airport. Troopers were unable to catch Johnson and he abandoned the ATV and left on foot.

Troopers later contacted him at his home and arrested him without incident. Family members turned over a semi auto .22 caliber handgun that was removed from Johnson before troopers arrived.

Johnson was transported to the Kotzebue Regional Jail and is currently being held without bail.

Parnell spokesperson Sharon Leighow says the governor was traveling with Northwest Arctic Borough Mayor Martha Whiting on a tour of communities in the region. He had planned to fly into Ambler Monday but was informed of the incident while in Kobuk, the stop on his trip before Ambler, and didn't take off. Although officials considered canceling the Ambler visit, it was instead postponed and Parnell was expected to arrive Monday afternoon.

More law-enforcement personnel, including a Kotzebue police officer, flooded into Ambler, and the suspect was arrested at about 10:30 a.m.

No one was shot during either the original domestic-violence call or the subsequent gunfire at the airfield.

Editor's note: This story has been updated to state that Parnell was delayed, not diverted from visiting Ambler after clarification from spokesperson Sharon Leighow. KTUU's Neil Torquiano contrbuted to an update of this story on August 14.

Here's the Alaska State Trooper's Dispatch posted Tuesday morning:

Location: Ambler  
Case number: AK12227995
Type: DUI, Driving while license revoked, Failure to stop at the dire
ction Officer 2nd, Misconduct Involving Weapons in the 4th and Petition t
o Revoke Probation.

Text: On 08/13/12 at approximately 0806 hours, Alaska State Troopers re
ceived a report of a male shooting a gun between houses in the Villag
e of Ambler. AST responded to the area and was unable to locate him.
  AST heard multiple shots near the Happy Valley subdivision in Ambler.
 During this investigation a community member reported a domestic dis
turbance involving Shawn Johnson. AST then contacted Shawn's family. Whil
e AST was in contact with them, Shawn drove up on a red Honda wearing clo
thing matching the description of the one given earlier of the male shootin
g between houses. When AST attempted to contact him, Shawn took off at an
 unsafe speed. AST attempted to follow him but was unable to keep up be
cause of the unsafe speed. Shawn continued towards the airport when AST l
ost him. As AST drove around looking for Shawn, multiple shots we
re heard coming from the direction of the airport.   AST located Sh
awn a few minutes later at which time he abandoned his ATV. AST observed
 Shawn run towards a wooded area with a dark colored handgun in his rig
ht hand. AST lost contact with him in the woods. Additional AST, AWT an
d KPD units responded in a chartered flight to assist. AST later cont
acted Shawn at his residence where he was taken into custody without fu
rther incident. While at the residence, family members turned over a se
mi auto .22 caliber handgun that had been removed from Shawn prior to AST
 arrival. Further investigation revealed Shawn was driving the Honda
while under the influence of alcohol and with a revoked operator's lice
nse. Shawn was subsequently arrested for DUI, Driving while license revok
ed, Failure to stop at the direction Officer 2nd, Misconduct Involvin
g Weapons in the 4th and Petition to Revoke Probation. Shawn was transporte
d to and is currently being held without bail at Kotzebue Regional Jail.
 
Author: AZG0
Received Tuesday, August 14, 2012 8:14 AM and posted Tuesday, August 14, 2012 8:21 AM