Crime & Courts

Anchorage man faces first-degree murder charge in November shooting after dispute over gas money

A man accused of shooting another man in East Anchorage in November was indicted Wednesday on additional charges, including first-degree murder.

Peejay Her, 52, was upset over gas money he believed he was owed when he fatally shot 33-year-old Rick Moa on Nov. 6, according to a sworn affidavit written by Detective Christina Roberts.

Her had given a ride to another man earlier that day and confronted him that evening about owing $20 in gas money, the affidavit said. Moa was with the man when Her confronted him.

Her returned to the area in the 4600 block of Mountain View Drive with a gun after the man refused to pay Her, the detective wrote. Her threatened the men and eventually fired shots at Moa, the affidavit said. Police said they were called to the scene around 8:40 p.m. Moa died at the hospital from the gunshot wounds.

Her was arrested Nov. 8 on charges of second-degree murder, third-degree misconduct involving a weapon and evidence tampering. On Wednesday, he was indicted on those charges plus several others, including first-degree murder, another count of second-degree murder and charges of both first-degree robbery and burglary, according to a statement from the Alaska Department of Law.

At the time of the shooting, Her was on probation for assault charges stemming from 2018. Her has been in custody on $500,000 bail since he was arrested in November. He’s scheduled to appear in court again Friday.

Tess Williams

Tess Williams is a reporter for the Anchorage Daily News, focusing on breaking news. Before joining the ADN in 2019, she was a reporter for the Grand Forks Herald in North Dakota and previously helped cover the Nebraska Legislature for The Associated Press. Contact her at twilliams@adn.com.

ADVERTISEMENT