An Anchorage man was shot and killed while attempting to photograph people shooting guns in an Alaska gravel pit.
According to the Associated Press, Adam Malaby, a 30-year-old Army veteran, was attempting to take photos of people firing off rounds of ammunition at a place known as the Gravel Pits in Sutton.
“Investigation revealed Malaby had stepped in the line of fire while attempting to video or photograph others shooting and was shot by another individual that was firing a .40-caliber pistol,” state troopers said in a press release.
According to CBS, the area isn’t an official shooting range but has been a popular place for quite some time.
A resident who lives near the pits told CBS that he wasn’t surprised that someone was shot.
“The ricochet bullets and the explosions you don’t really get used to; makes me nervous every time,” James Meyers told the news station. “I figured it was only a matter of time with all that goes on up there, so many people shooting and so many indiscriminate directions without really any rules or guidelines.”
It wasn’t clear if Malaby was getting imagery with the permission of the shooters at the time of the incident.
Meyers told CBS that locals sometimes refer to the area as “the Wild West.”
“Alcohol, drugs, there’s people talking about hypodermic needles sitting out there,” he said. “You can just go out there and do what you want to do.”
The news station spoke to another individual that avoids the area after having a close call himself.
“I have had cases where people have fired guns in my direction from behind me,” Dillon Barron told CBS. “There’s usually never a firing line established and other shooters fail to communicate with one another if they have to go downrange. This is where it gets dangerous.
“Add alcohol and ATV riders to the mix, and you can easily see how it’s an accident waiting to happen,” Barron explained.
State troopers told the Associated Press that the incident remains under investigation.
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