Ionatana Toa was 27 when he was shot and later died after being dropped off at a local hospital on the night of Saturday, April 4, 2020. Police heard shots near Bragaw Street and the Glenn Highway around 9:08 p.m., and residents reported gunfire near East 7th Avenue and Klevin Street. Toa arrived at the hospital with a life-threatening gunshot wound to his upper body at about 9:20 p.m. and did not survive.

Friends and family remembered Toa as a loving, kind-hearted, and genuine man, an amazing uncle and a dedicated cook who graduated from East High School in Anchorage. Arrests followed: on April 5 police charged 30-year-old Rachel Torey Danielle Epperson with manslaughter, first-degree attempted murder, and third-degree assault; a second arrest, of 37-year-old Adam Alan Blodgett, came on July 16, 2020. State charging documents later showed three people faced manslaughter counts, including 34-year-old Angelique Aurora Petty.

Federal prosecutors also indicted Epperson and Blodgett on gun charges alleging Epperson bought a 9mm pistol as a straw purchase for Blodgett, a convicted felon, and charged Blodgett as a felon in possession. The state and federal cases were pending. If anyone knew Toa or saw activity near East 7th Avenue and Klevin Street that night, please share what can help.