Dual Investigations - Homicide and OIS: 700-block W 4th Avenue

Update on 6/7/24:

From the Attorney General’s Office **Below correction/clarification made 6/24/24**

Kaleb Bourdukofsky Indicted for Anchorage Homicide

June 7, 2024 (Anchorage, AK) – Today an Anchorage grand jury indicted 22-year-old Kaleb Bourdukofsky for one count of Murder in the First Degree and two counts of Murder in the Second Degree for the murder of 25-year-old Diego Joe.

Clarification: An earlier release on this shooting, referenced the outside of a bar, the Gaslight Bar, where officers were staging. The deceased victim was not found at this staging area, rather he was found in an alcove near the Pioneer Bar or at 739 W. 4th Avenue.

Bourdukofsky was also indicted for one count of Misconduct Involving Weapons in the Second Degree, one of Assault in the Second Degree, and 11counts of Assault in the Third Degree. The charges stem from a homicide that occurred on June 1, 2024.  

Bourdukofsky is in the custody of the Department of Corrections and is awaiting arraignment on charges in this case. Bail has not been set at this time. If convicted at trial, Bourdukofsky faces a sentence of up to 99 years of imprisonment.

These charges are only allegations and are not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial at which the prosecution must prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

Update on 6/4/24:

The officers who discharged their weapons Saturday morning have been identified as Officer Jordan Varak (hired June 2021) and Officer Parker Boydston (hired December 2021).

Update on 6/3/24:

The homicide victim has been identified as 25-year-old Diego Joe.  Next-of-kin notification procedures have been completed.

The preliminary investigation indicates Diego Joe and the suspect, Kaleb Bourdukofsky, exchanged words inside a local bar.  At some point afterwards, Bourdukofsky exited the rear of the bar located on the 700-block of W 4th Avenue which happened to be near where the victim was standing with a group of people.  The victim and suspect verbally engaged one another and then physically fought until they were broken apart by witnesses.  As Bourdukofsky walked away, he produced a weapon and fired in the direction of the others.  Diego Joe was fatally struck, and another adult male was struck in the lower body.

The nature of the argument, and whether Diego Joe and Kaleb Bourdukofsky were known to one another ahead of time, are still under investigation.

Update on 6/2/24:

Detectives have identified the shooter as 22-year-old Kaleb E. A. Bourdukofsky.  He is the same person wounded by officers shortly after he fatally shot one adult male and wounded a second adult male.  On June 1, 2024, Detectives charged Bourdukofsky with Murder in the First Degree, Murder in the Second Degree, Misconduct Involving a Weapon in the Second Degree, and Assault in the Second Degree. 

There will be a press conference regarding the OIS and Homicide on June 3, 2024, at 9:00 AM.  It will be live-streamed on APD’s Facebook page.

Original on 6/1/24:

At 2:25 AM on June 1, 2024, APD mid-shift patrol officers were on the 700-block of W 4th Avenue for bar break.  Approximately two minutes later officers heard shots being fired from the parking lot in the southeast corner of H Street and W 3rd Avenue.

Witnesses pointed out a male to officers, indicating the man had been involved in the shooting that had just occurred.  Officers engaged the male, who was armed with a gun, near W 3rd Avenue and G Street.  Two officers discharged their weapons, striking the adult male in the upper and lower body.  The adult male was transported to a hospital where he is currently in stable condition.

Initial indications are that there was some type of altercation in the 3rd/H parking lot that culminated in shots being fired.  The shooting left one adult male declared deceased at the scene and a second adult male with at least one gunshot wound to the lower body.  The injured male was transported to a hospital for treatment of his non-life-threatening injuries. 

The number of shooters, who they are, the motive behind the shooting, and whether the parties involved were known to one another are all under investigation.  Multiple people fled the scene once the parking lot shooting occurred.  Police are asking for anyone who witnessed the shooting, who have not spoken to police, to contact APD Dispatch at 3-1-1 (option #1) or 907-786-8900 (option #0).

The Crime Scene Team is processing both the homicide site and the officer-involved site.  W 3rd Avenue between F and H Streets, and W 4th Avenue between G and H Streets, are closed while that occurs.  Drones will be utilized.

Per policy the State’s Office of Special Prosecutions (OSP) will review the officers’ use of force and determine whether it was justified.  Once that has been completed, APD Internal Affairs will review the officers’ actions to confirm whether there was any violation of policy.  As per APD practice the officers will be placed on four days of administrative leave.  His/her names will be released publicly 72 hours after the incident. 

Once OSP has completed their investigation, their findings will be available for the public to review.

There will be a press conference regarding the OIS.  The date and time have not yet been determined.

APD Cases 24-16833 (OIS) and 24-16838 (Homicide)