Sept. 23 – A 31-year-old man has been charged with murder in the deadly 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 felon in possession of a weapon. Morales was described in charging documents as homeless and said he lived in a camp.
He told detectives he shot Buncom after being told the other man had stolen $20,000 from a friend, according to an affidavit filed in the case by Officer Brendan Lee.
Police were called to the Circle K gas station on Mountain View Drive on the afternoon of Aug. 17 after a woman called 911 to report that her friend had been shot and killed in a car parked behind the building, the complaint said.
Investigators reviewed security camera footage in the area and interviewed two women who witnessed the shooting or the events immediately before it, the complaint said.
One of the women told police that she and Buncom were in a Ford Expedition parked behind the gas station that afternoon and that another man had arrived after she went to the restroom, the complaint said. The man, whom she knew only as “G” but who was later identified as Morales, was wearing a ski mask and had a long, silver handgun, the complaint said.
Buncom told the woman that Morales needed a ride to Fairview, and she heard Morales accuse Buncom of stealing $20,000, the complaint said. After several minutes, Morales shot Buncom and fled, the complaint said.
Morales was identified as a suspect a few days later due to his possible involvement in another case and was located and arrested during a traffic stop on Thursday, the complaint said. He initially refused to exit the vehicle and officers used tear gas and pepper spray.
During an interview, Morales said he confronted Buncom outside the gas station in August and shot him after he was told about the money, the complaint said. Morales told investigators that Buncom pulled out a long knife in the car and shot him “because he was afraid he would come to his camp later and hurt him,” the complaint said.
Morales was being held on $750,000 bail and was being held at the Anchorage Correctional Complex through Monday.
