Brandon Keyon Moultrie was a 28-year-old First Lieutenant in the U.S. Army stationed at Fort Wainwright and an active community volunteer in Fairbanks. A decorated soldier who began military service in 2013 and earned his commission in 2022, he volunteered at the local food bank, schools, and with the Girl Scouts and had been recognized by installation officials days before his death.

In the early hours of Saturday, May 4, 2024, a fight in the parking lot of the International Hotel and Bar (the Big I) escalated when two men were reportedly instigating altercations. Witnesses and video show that after one man, Sharif Makkar, was knocked down, his companion, Shamar Snipes, produced a handgun and began firing. Moultrie, an uninvolved bystander who had just approached the group, was struck in the back of the head. He died on May 5, 2024, at Fairbanks Memorial Hospital.

Fairbanks police arrested 21-year-old Shamar Rashied Terrill Snipes and 27-year-old Sharif Makkar; Snipes’ booking was amended to second-degree murder after Moultrie’s death and Makkar faced assault, disorderly conduct, and weapons misconduct charges. Anyone who knew Lieutenant Moultrie or witnessed the incident is asked to come forward with information.