Crime & Courts

Police arrest one man in Anchorage double homicide. Another, at large, is considered 'dangerous.'

Anchorage police have arrested a man they say was an accomplice in the Mountain View shooting that killed two people Saturday, which police said took place in the presence of a 5-year-old boy.

Police said they've arrested Jaylyn Franklin, 20, and charged him with two counts of second degree-murder and three other crimes in the deaths of Danielle Brooks, 32, and Christopher Brooks, 38. In a prepared statement Sunday afternoon, police said Franklin was part of a group of several men who knew Christopher Brooks and went to the Brookses' home Saturday afternoon to rob them.

Police identified Lamarkus Jayquann Mann, 22, as the shooter and have issued a warrant for his arrest for murder, robbery and burglary. He's considered "armed and dangerous," police said, directing anyone with information about where he is to call 911.

A third man, DeAnthony Malik Harris, 19, was also charged with murder, robbery and burglary, according to a document provided by state prosecutors. Police did not refer to Harris in their statement, and a prisoner database did not show him as being in state custody.

Police said Mann shot Danielle Brooks first. Christopher Brooks was shot after an ensuing "struggle over the gun," police said in a statement; he left his home but collapsed outside and died at a hospital shortly afterward.

Police said the 5-year-old boy is now being cared for by relatives. Police said in their statement that the boy told them: "Ninjas came to my home and killed my family."

Correction: Following police reports, this story incorrectly reported that Danielle Brooks' son is 6 years old. He just turned 5, according to relatives.

Nathaniel Herz

Anchorage-based independent journalist Nathaniel Herz has been a reporter in Alaska for nearly a decade, with stints at the Anchorage Daily News and Alaska Public Media. Read his newsletter, Northern Journal, at natherz.substack.com

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