Tiwan Marquis Johnson Jr., 19, was shot just after 1 a.m. on January 24, 2017, in the parking lot of the Brown Jug liquor store at 171 Muldoon Road in East Anchorage. Multiple people were present during a confrontation that left two men wounded; Johnson was struck in the head and died at a hospital, while the other victim survived with a non-life-threatening shoulder wound.

Investigators say the fight escalated into a struggle over a backpack believed to contain marijuana, a handgun was produced, and shots were fired. Three days later a 23-year-old acquaintance, Christopher Birotte, surrendered to police on a warrant and was charged with second-degree murder and second-degree assault. Prosecutors told the court security-camera footage showed Birotte firing at a car occupied by four people as it drove away; a defense attorney said Johnson and the other man had beaten Birotte and taken his backpack prior to the shooting, a claim the family disputed.

Johnson’s family described him as a cheerful, athletic recent East High School graduate who had moved to Alaska from California seeking a better life. Anyone who was at the Brown Jug parking lot that night or who has information about the events leading up to the shooting is asked to come forward.