May 5—A man was taken to the hospital with life-threatening injuries early Saturday after he was shot outside a Fairbanks bar, police said.
A 21-year-old man charged with assault in the case is accused of shooting the victim in the head during a fight, according to a criminal complaint filed against him.
Fairbanks Police Department officers responded around 1:30 a.m. Saturday to a report of a shooting outside the Big International Bar, according to an online statement from the department.
Arriving at the bar, located in downtown Fairbanks and known as The Big I, officers found a man shot in the back of the head, according to a criminal complaint signed by Detective Robert Hall.
The victim was transported to Fairbanks Memorial Hospital with life-threatening injuries, police said. He was in critical condition Sunday afternoon, Fairbanks city spokeswoman Teal Soden said.
Officers located Shamar Rashied Terrill Snipes, 21, near the scene near the Chena River carrying a firearm, the complaint states.
During an interview at police headquarters, Snipes told a detective and a lieutenant that he and his friend were leaving the bar when his friend got into a fight with someone who was part of a larger group at outside, according to the complaint. Snipes said that when he saw his friend being punched, he was afraid he would be hurt and started shooting, the complaint states. Snipes said he did not aim at anyone in particular, but fired several shots and hit one person, according to the complaint.
Snipes was charged with first-degree assault, according to online court records. He was arrested and remanded to the Fairbanks Correctional Center, police said.
