Update on November 15, 2023:

From the Attorney General’s Office:

This morning in Anchorage Superior Court, Andrew Robertson-Goughnour, 30, pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated Manslaughter.  His plea was accepted by the Honorable Peter Ramgren pursuant to a plea agreement.

Under that agreement, he was sentenced immediately following the acceptance of his guilty plea to serve 20 years in prison, with 11.5 of those years suspended. He will serve a five-year probation term after his prison sentence and has lost the right to possess a firearm for the remainder of his life.

This morning’s proceedings resolved a 2016 indictment stemming from a May 25, 2016, encounter at the Holiday gas station on Abbott Road. Robertson-Goughnour was at one of the gas pumps while his girlfriend was inside the store. The deceased, Brandon Merritt, then 19 years old, was in the front seat of a car with three of his friends, also parked at the Holiday. The two individuals were strangers to each other. Robertson-Goughnour was armed and openly carrying a .45 caliber semi-automatic pistol in a hip holster. According to eyewitness accounts, a verbal dispute between the two men escalated when Merritt came out of his vehicle.  Although Merritt was unarmed, Robertson-Goughnor drew his pistol. When Merrit continued to approach, Robertson-Goughnour racked the slide of his pistol, chambering a live round. Merritt’s friends, sensing the situation was escalating, got out of their car and yelled at Robertson-Goughnour to put the gun away, while Merritt and Robertson-Goughnour continued to yell back and forth. This culminated in Robertson-Goughnour firing a single hollow-point round into Merrit’s chest, fatally wounding him.

Forensic testing revealed Merrit was 18 inches to 30 inches from the muzzle of the gun when the fatal shot was fired.

Robertson-Goughnour, among a number of bystanders, called 911, which recorded him telling one of Merritt’s friends that he shot because the guys walked up on him and he thought they were saying disrespectful things toward his girlfriend—a claim that no other eyewitnesses, including his girlfriend, were able to verify at the time.

Update on May 26, 2016:

Anchorage police have charged 23-year-old Andrew Robertson-Goughnour in the fatal shooting of a male at a south Anchorage gas station parking lot last night. Goughnour has been charged with Murder in the First Degree and Murder in the Second Degree. He has been remanded to the Anchorage Jail with no bail.

On May 25, 2016, just before 9:00 p.m. Anchorage police received multiple calls reporting that a male had been shot at the Holiday Gas station located on the 1500 block of Abbott Road. Officers responded and located a deceased male with a single gunshot wound, identified as 19-year-old Brandon Merritt, near the gas pumps. It was reported to police that Merritt was a passenger in a white sedan. As the white sedan was getting ready to leave the parking lot, Goughnour (who was pumping gas at the gas station) and Merritt got into a verbal altercation. Merritt got out of the vehicle and as he was approaching Goughnour, Goughnour produced a firearm and shot Merritt once. Following the shooting, Goughnour remained on scene and was taken into custody by police for further questioning. Goughnour was charged in the incident for intentionally causing the death of another person. Merritt’s next-of-kin have been notified. 

Original Message on May 25, 2016: 

Anchorage police are on-scene investigating a fatal shooting at the Holiday Gas Station located on the 1500 block of Abbott Road. Police received a call reporting the shooting just before 9:00 p.m. A deceased person has been confirmed at the scene and there are believed to be no outstanding suspects at this time. Police are in the very early stages of an investigation and additional information will be released when it comes available. 

 APD Case 16-21673