A 20-year-old Alakanuk man was fatally shot this week and Alaska State Troopers say they have arrested a friend of his on charges of second-degree murder.
Kobe Cook died of numerous gunshot wounds at the clinic in the Southwest Alaska village, according to a sworn affidavit filed with charges by Trooper Christopher Jennings.
Josiah Chikigak,19, called 911 around 1 a.m. and said he shot Cook because Cook followed him home after the two men had been drinking together, the affidavit said. In a later interview, Chikigak told investigators that Cook followed him home because he thought there was more alcohol and eventually broke into the house.
Chikigak shot Cook inside the home, and one of Chikigak’s family members witnessed the shooting, the affidavit said. Cook made his way back to his house and was brought to the clinic where he was pronounced dead, troopers said.
Troopers found shell casings inside Chikigak’s home and found no sign of forced entry, according to the affidavit. Chikigak told investigators he used his .22-caliber rifle in the shooting.
Chikigak was in custody Thursday morning at the Yukon Kuskokwim Correctional Center in Bethel. Alakanuk is on the Yukon River near the Bering Sea, roughly 160 miles northwest of Bethel.