Man injured in East Anchorage drive-by shooting

Police responded to reports of shots fired in East Anchorage on Wednesday and found a man with multiple gunshot wounds.

The victim, who experienced considerable blood loss after being shot up to five times, is expected to survive, Sgt. Shaun Henry said at the scene.

The Anchorage Police Department started receiving calls at 2:55 p.m. about someone who'd been shot in the 4400 block of East Third Avenue, Henry said.

Witnesses told police a man was walking down the avenue near Lane Street when multiple people in a vehicle traveling the opposite direction opened fire on him, Henry said.

The suspects fled, and no arrests have been made, police spokeswoman Renee Oistad said in a statement.

Officers are following several leads, Henry said. The man who was shot spoke with officers but did not provide much to go on, he said.

"Initial indications are that this was a targeted event and not random," Oistad said.

The intersection of Lane Street and East Third was blocked in three directions for more than an hour while officers investigated the scene, which is near David Rose Park, a greenbelt with a children's playground.

Shots impacted the ground near an entrance to the park, Henry said. A responding officer ran out of yellow evidence markers, so they used a deck of playing cards to mark spots where police found shell casings and other markings, he said.

The scene was near several schools, and school buses dropping off kids were rerouted during the investigation.

Police are asking anyone with information who has not yet spoken to them to call dispatchers at 907-786-8900, or to submit anonymous tips through Anchorage Crime Stoppers at 907-561-7867 or anchoragecrimestoppers.com.