David Anthony Welch, 27, was shot in the late afternoon of November 12, 2018, in the parking lot of the Holiday Inn Express on Spenard Road in Anchorage. Officers arrived at 4:27 p.m. and found him gravely wounded from a gunshot to the upper body; he was taken to Providence Alaska Medical Center and died later that day. Authorities later announced the incident as a homicide.

Investigators say Welch went to the hotel expecting a drug transaction arranged through instant messages. In the rear parking lot he entered the back seat of the suspects’ vehicle. Within minutes the front-seat passenger allegedly shot him once in the chest; as the driver began to leave the passenger got out, robbed Welch of controlled substances, and shot him a second time. Bleeding, Welch made it into the hotel lobby seeking help before he was taken to the hospital.

By November 18 investigators identified two suspects and arrested 35-year-old Dwayne Nelson and 22-year-old Ryan Edwin; both were booked on second-degree murder charges. Obituaries published after his death referred to him as David Anthony Tony Welch. Anyone with information about the case or who knew Welch is asked to come forward.