A shooting claimed multiple lives in a tiny Alaska whaling village. Here’s what to know
ANKERAGE, Alaska — A shooting at a home in a remote whaling village in Inupiat on Alaska’s northwest coast has left several dead and injured, but officials declined to provide more details Monday, including the number of victims.
“Incidents occurred last night in Point Hope that resulted in the loss of life and injuries to our residents,” said a statement Monday from the North Slope Borough.
A suspect is in custody and according to the police there is no ongoing danger to the community. The local school was closed Monday to allow the community to grieve and counseling was made available, the statement said.
Sayers Tuzroyluk Sr., chairman of the Tikigaq Corporation board of directors, declined to answer questions about what happened in Point Hope.
“It’s already known that there was a shooting at Point Hope and that’s as far as I go,” he said.
North Slope Borough spokesperson Araina Danner said the shooting happened Sunday night. She declined to say how many people were killed and how many were injured, citing the ongoing investigation.
She also declined to say which law enforcement officials were involved in the investigation.
The statewide law enforcement agency, the Alaska State Troopers, has not been asked to assist at this time, spokesman John Dougherty said in an email. He referred all other questions to the North Slope Borough.
On Monday, unanswered phones rang at both village and tribal offices in Point Hope.
Point Hope, with a population of about 675, was built on a triangular headland surrounded by a large inlet and the Chukchi and Arctic Ocean. It is located approximately 700 miles (1,126 kilometers) northwest of Anchorage.
The peninsula where Point Hope is located is one of the longest inhabited areas in North America, with some of the first inhabitants crossing the Siberian land bridge to hunt bowhead whales about 2,000 years ago, according to the municipality’s website.
Russia is located about 200 miles (322 kilometers) west of Point Hope, across the Chukchi Ocean.
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Kelleher reported from Honolulu.