Ronald Eugene Zimin was 36 when he was shot dead on October 22, 1986, after answering a domestic disturbance in the remote Bristol Bay village of South Naknek. Zimin served as the village’s Public Safety Officer and a U.S. Navy veteran; he had been a VPSO for three years and filled roles that included medic, firefighter, search-and-rescue lead, and peacekeeper for his community.

Neighbors and troopers converged after the shooting, and the man who fired the shot was taken into custody. The state’s case described an ambush; a jury returned a verdict of first-degree murder and the judge imposed a 50-year prison term. Services that week filled the Russian Orthodox church in Naknek and Zimin was buried in the South Naknek cemetery. Memorials and roll calls have kept his name alive, and his killing is cited when the risks of answering domestic calls in isolated villages are discussed.

Did anyone in South Naknek or nearby communities have memories or details about Zimin’s service or the events that night to share?