Caleb Rockafield, 20, was killed by a single rifle round on the evening of November 5, 2019, in an East Anchorage apartment on the 5400 block of East 26th Avenue. Officers arrived about 8:15 p.m.; he was rushed to a hospital and later pronounced dead. The rifle involved was an AR-15 belonging to a neighbor and had been brought into the room to be examined by people who knew one another.

Early statements said the weapon had been handled by Rockafield’s 22-year-old roommate, Samuel J. Fair. Witnesses told reporters that Fair asked to examine the rifle, a magazine had been removed, someone cautioned to make sure the gun was clear, and then a pop was heard before Rockafield collapsed. Fair was initially arrested on first-degree assault and reckless endangerment charges; after Rockafield’s death was confirmed authorities described the case as a homicide and reporting later said Fair was charged with manslaughter. Fair told witnesses the shooting was accidental.

Caleb was from St. Germain, Wisconsin, and had ties to the Army’s airborne engineer battalion in Anchorage, having recently left military service. The central facts are the fatal, unintended discharge of the AR-15 and the arrest of the roommate on criminal charges. If anyone was at that apartment or knew Caleb or Samuel Fair, please share what was seen that night.