Victim identified, suspect arrested in connection with Thursday morning shooting

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - A man was found dead early Thursday morning in a parking lot near Dimond Boulevard after shots were heard by residents.

The victim was identified as 51-year-old John Martin III. Martin gained notoriety in Anchorage for sitting in protest outside City Hall in 2011 and sailing to Russia in a small boat. He was also a registered sex offender.

By Friday morning, the Anchorage Police Department arrested 32-year-old Ryan Dummler of Anchorage on charges of first-degree murder and second-degree murder.

The department reported in a dispatch that a Crime Scene Team responded to a call of shots fired around 5 a.m. Thursday near the intersection of Dimond and King Street, adjacent to the northwest corner.

Police said the man had at least “one gunshot wound to the upper body.”

It was unclear as of Friday whether Dummler and the victim knew each other, or the motive for the shooting, but police said the two were engaged in a verbal altercation before Dummler took the gun out and shot the victim. Police said Dummler left the area after the shooting.

This story has been updated with additional information.

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