A 33-year-old man with prior felony convictions for kidnapping and robbery in North Carolina allegedly shot an acquaintance Sunday morning in Anchorage because he'd been "disrespectful."
Terrance Jermaine Beasley faces charges of second-degree murder and weapons misconduct for the fatal shooting of 30-year-old Sentwali Howard.
Howard's fiancée declined to comment on the death but said the people who attended Monday's hearing at the Anchorage Correctional Complex all knew Beasley.
The friends hugged one another and cried outside the jail after Beasley made his initial court appearance.
Second-degree murder carries a sentence of up to 99 years in prison. The state asked for and was granted a total bail of $520,000.
Charges against Beasley filed by Anchorage police detective Monique Doll say officers responded to the Holiday gas station at Old Seward Highway and Tudor Road shortly after 3 a.m. Sunday.
The station's clerk told police dispatchers two men argued inside the store, both left on foot, and soon two shots were heard.
One witness said a man in a white shirt approached another man dressed in black, who pulled a gun and shot the man in white, later identified as Howard.
Another unnamed witness living near the scene of the shooting off East 45th Avenue woke up to gunfire, according to the charges. The witness heard a man yelling something to the effect of "I am going to shoot you and kill you, you will die," the charges say.
Officers found Howard lying bleeding on the ground on the west side of 45th. He appeared to have been shot "in his upper chest and stomach area," the charges say.
Howard was taken to a hospital and died, according to the charges.
A distinctive shoe print was found in the snow near Howard's body, and a police dog led officers to an apartment off Juneau Street, according to the charges. Beasley was contacted as he was entering a vehicle in the building's parking lot. He allegedly was wearing a black sweatshirt.
A standoff with Anchorage police and SWAT ensued that ended with Beasley's surrender.
Once in custody, Beasley told officers he'd been at the gas station at the same time as Howard.
"Beasley indicated that he and Howard were arguing," the charges say. "Beasley believed that Howard had been 'disrespectful' to him."
Beasley allegedly said he left the gas station and Howard followed him. He said Howard pulled a gun on him, and he knocked it out of his hand, according to the charges. Then, he grabbed the firearm and fired two shots at Howard's feet. He denied firing additional shots at Howard, according to the charges.
Officers didn't find a gun on the suspect or victim. The charges indicate they found it "in the crime scene area."
Beasley told a judge he is not employed but makes money doing odd jobs. He answered the judge's questions with "Yeah."
There were two outbursts from people attending the hearing. One man said he "broke bread" with Beasley before leaving the courtroom.