Patrick Changsak, a 46-year-old Alaskan Native man, was found fatally wounded in his home in the Yukon River village of Russian Mission on February 5, 2024. Authorities were alerted at about 6:09 p.m.; Changsak had sustained a gunshot wound to the shin and was taken to the village clinic, where he was pronounced dead. Residents reported seeing a 45-year-old local man, Richard Pitka, step onto Changsak’s porch carrying a rifle; witnesses heard a gunshot followed seconds later by another. A former health aide who arrived afterward reported seeing Pitka holding the victim.

Villagers detained Pitka until Alaska State Troopers could reach the remote community the next morning; troopers arrested him on February 6 and charged him with second-degree murder. Pitka told troopers the rifle had discharged on its own after he left it for safekeeping in Changsak’s home, but troopers say the weapon’s condition — the hammer would have had to be cocked and the safety off — made an accidental discharge inconsistent with that account. Changsak’s remains were sent to the State Medical Examiner’s Office and next of kin were notified.

Does anyone in Russian Mission or the surrounding region have information about what happened that evening?