Man suspected of trying to steal items in Alaska shot by resident, authorities say

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — A man suspected of trying to steal items from a garage in a south-central Alaska community was shot after being confronted by a resident, authorities said, the second such case in the region in recent days.

Alaska State Troopers said a 30-year-old man was shot Wednesday night in Houston, which is about 57 miles (91.7 kilometers) north of Anchorage. The man entered a garage and was going through items when residents saw tracks leading to the building and confronted him, Troopers spokesperson Tim DeSpain said. The man grabbed a lamp and “attempted to use it as a blunt weapon,” DeSpain said.

Troopers said the man tried to grab a gun from a resident and was shot twice, the Anchorage Daily News reported. The man was taken to a hospital for non-life-threatening injuries, troopers said, and the residents were not harmed.

On Dec. 17, troopers said another man was found inside a Wasilla home by two residents. A fight ensued, and the man was fatally shot by one of the residents — a woman — in defense of her husband, who was stabbed in the arm, troopers have said. Wasilla is about 18 miles (29 kilometers) from Houston.