On Friday, Anchorage police arrested the man suspected of an apparently random home invasion shooting on the Hillside Wednesday afternoon.
Police announced Friday that 36-year-old Joseph Edmund Spindle was arrested and charged with the shooting that injured a man and killed a German shepherd. Spindle faces charges of robbery and assault in the first degree, cruelty to animals and weapons misconduct.
The shooting happened on Sultana Drive off Upper Huffman Road. The victim answered his doorbell just before 3:30 p.m. and was shot by a man holding a box who said, "I have a package for you." The victim went back inside and the suspect followed, fatally shooting the dog.
After retrieving a gun, the victim emerged from the home to find the intruder getting into a vehicle and driving away, police said. The Anchorage Police Department has not named the victim.
APD's Robbery and Assault Unit identified Spindle as the suspect. Spokesperson Jennifer Castro said Spindle was identified through surveillance, fingerprints at the scene, his vehicle and witness information. Surveillance of Spindle's vehicle was provided to police and additional tips came through Anchorage Crime Stoppers, she said.
"Spindle was located this morning at a residence on the 4600 block of Spenard Road and taken into custody on a probation violation warrant," the statement says.
Police got a search warrant for the room Spindle had been staying in and gathered evidence connecting him to the home invasion shooting. Officers seized a gun loaded with the same kind of ammunition used in the shooting, Castro said.
Spindle was taken to the Anchorage jail and a magistrate judge set an initial bail of $20,000 and a third-party custodian.
"There is still no known connection between Spindle and the victim. It is unknown why Spindle chose this particular residence to commit a violent crime," said Castro.
A court date has yet to be set in Spindle's newest case. Court records show he was convicted in April 2013 of manufacturing or delivering drugs. The state dismissed additional charges of possession and distribution. In December of that year, he was charged with misdemeanor drug possession, but the case was dropped.