Prosecutors announced Thursday that 29-year-old Eagle River resident Jarre Lee has been charged with murdering a teenager in East Anchorage last August.
Lee faces charges of first-degree murder and third-degree weapons misconduct, according to the Anchorage District Attorney's Office. The indictment against Lee, filed Wednesday, says he "intentionally caused the death" of Preston Perdomo, 19, and he possessed a firearm despite a felony conviction.
The state says Lee killed Perdomo on Aug. 3, 2015 in a residential neighborhood.
Shortly after 6 p.m. that day, police got a report of shots fired on Creekside Center Drive, near the intersection of DeBarr and Muldoon roads. Police got follow-up reports that a man had been shot, and upon arriving found Perdomo, who was declared dead at the scene.
Witnesses told police they heard gunshots and then found Perdomo inside a car with wounds to his chest and arms. In the days that followed, police shared no new details other than to say no arrests were made in the homicide.
District Attorney Clint Campion said officers have been investigating the shooting since it happened. Interviews with witnesses and videos of the incident led police to Lee, he said.
Lee was arrested without incident on Thursday morning, according to the DA's office. He will make an initial court appearance Friday; his bail was previously set by an arrest warrant at $1 million.
He faces up to 99 years in prison if convicted.
Authorities have arrested the suspected shooter after nine months, but they're continuing to ask people with information to call APD or submit anonymous tips to Anchorage Crime Stoppers.
"Police did a good job of contacting people, but there is the possibility that others may have information," Campion said. "Either they weren't home when police came knocking, or they were scared to share what they knew given the nature of the crime."
Campion said authorities have reason to believe Lee wasn't acting alone. Lee allegedly acted as the lone shooter, he said, but others may have helped in setting up the shooting.