A 28-year-old Kenai man arrested Thursday fatally shot a friend during an argument in the road, according to a criminal complaint filed in the case.
Kevin Lee Park faces charges including first-degree murder in the shooting, which was witnessed by at least one person and caught on a surveillance camera, according to a probable cause statement by Kenai police investigations Sgt. Ryan Coleman.
Several people called 911 just before 4 a.m. to report hearing gunshots near California Avenue including one person who said they watched as someone was shot and then saw the suspect trying to load the injured person into a truck before fleeing the area, Coleman wrote.
Police said they found 31-year-old Stephanie Henson dead at the scene.
While driving to the area, an officer saw a truck matching the witness description driving without headlights, the probable cause statement said. Park, later identified as the driver, refused to stop for the officer and led police on a pursuit that eventually involved Alaska State Troopers and Soldotna police. Park stopped after driving several miles and was arrested, Coleman wrote.
Park told investigators during an interview that he and Henson, who were friends, had spent time together earlier that evening, the statement said. Park admitted he used methamphetamine before the pair went to California Avenue, it said.
Park said he and Henson got into an argument that turned physical and then he shot her, the statement said. He told investigators he tried to load her into his truck to take her to the hospital but fled when he couldn’t get her in the vehicle.
A home surveillance camera in the area captured a struggle between two people and one person shooting the other, according to the charges.
Park is facing charges of first-degree murder, tampering with physical evidence and failure to stop at the direction of a peace officer. He is in custody at the Wildwood Pretrial Facility.