A 31-year-old man is facing murder charges in a fatal shooting last month in Northeast Anchorage that left 25-year-old Ethan Buncom dead.
Julio Morales, 31, was arrested Thursday on charges of first- and second-degree murder and of being a felon in possession of a weapon. Morales was described as homeless in charging documents and said he lived in a camp.
He told investigators he shot Buncom after being told the other man had stolen $20,000 from a friend, according to a sworn complaint filed in the case by police officer Brendan Lee.
Police were called to the Circle K gas station on Mountain View Drive the afternoon of Aug. 17 after a woman called 911 to report that her friend was shot and killed in a car parked behind the building, according to the complaint.
Investigators reviewed security camera footage from the area and interviewed two women who witnessed the shooting or the moments directly beforehand, the complaint said.
One of the women told police she was with Buncom in a Ford Expedition parked behind the gas station that afternoon and found that another man had arrived after she left for the restroom, the complaint said. The man, who she knew only as “G” but who was later identified as Morales, was wearing a ski mask and had a long, silver gun, it said.
Buncom told the woman Morales needed a ride to Fairview and she heard Morales accusing Buncom of stealing $20,000, the complaint said. After several minutes, Morales shot Buncom and fled, it said.
Morales was identified as the suspect a few days later due to his potential involvement in another case and was located and arrested Thursday during a traffic stop, according to the complaint. He initially refused to leave the vehicle and officers deployed tear gas and pepper spray.
During an interview, Morales said he confronted Buncom outside the gas station in August and shot him after being told about the money, the complaint said. Morales told investigators Buncom had pulled out a long knife in the car and he shot him “because he feared he would come to his camp later on and hurt him,” it said.
Morales was being held on $750,000 bail and remained in custody at the Anchorage Correctional Complex as of Monday.