Christian Johnnson, a 5-year-old Black boy, was found mortally wounded in his family’s East Anchorage apartment on the 5700 block of Rocky Mountain Court in the early minutes of December 5, 2017. Police were called just after 12:20 a.m.; investigators reported that the child had discovered a loaded handgun in a bedroom nightstand and shot himself, and he died at the scene.

Federal authorities later arrested the child’s father, Anthony L. Johnnson, on a charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm. Prosecutors described his prior drug-trafficking conviction and said a .40-caliber semiautomatic pistol was found beside the boy, with additional ammunition seized elsewhere in the apartment. A U.S. Magistrate judge approved house arrest with GPS monitoring so the father could help plan the funeral while Anchorage police continued their investigation.

Coverage emphasized that the fatal shot was self-inflicted and focused on firearm possession and safe storage. A community vigil formed outside the family’s building as relatives prepared for the child’s funeral. If anyone knew Christian or has information about how the firearm came to be unsecured, please share what you know.