Spencer Christian Ballenger, a 26-year-old Black man, was found mortally wounded in the early-morning darkness of October 30, 2015, in the parking lot of the Carrs/Safeway at 11409 Business Park Boulevard in Eagle River. Anchorage police arrived about 1:50 a.m. and discovered he had been shot in the chest; he was pronounced dead at the scene. Obituaries later gave the time of death as approximately 1:47 a.m.

Detectives quickly identified a person of interest, 26-year-old Aaron Nathaniel Trejo, and the search drew tips from the public. On the night of November 4, U.S. Marshals located Trejo sitting in a vehicle outside a Holiday convenience store on East Tudor Road in Anchorage. He was taken to police headquarters, questioned about the Eagle River shooting, and charged with murder and failure to appear on an unrelated Assault III case; he was booked into the Anchorage jail without bail.

The shooting is described as having occurred in the grocery store parking lot just before 2 a.m., leaving the victim where he fell. Funeral and burial notices for Ballenger were published the following week. If anyone knew Spencer or saw activity around the Carrs/Safeway that morning, please share what you remember.