Timothy Grosdidier

On a Saturday morning in early November 2025, Timothy Grosdidier, a 45-year-old White male, went to the Fox Hollow Golf Course & Sports Dome in South Anchorage to do something familiar and ordinary: watch youth soccer. The parking lot outside the indoor sports complex was crowded with families, and it was there that a brief encounter over driving spiraled into a fatal confrontation. According to charging documents, the trouble began when Grosdidier's wife shouted that a pickup driven by 36-year-old Luke Charles Simonson had come dangerously close to their child. Witnesses said Grosdidier then moved toward the truck to confront the driver. Voices rose in an argument between the two fathers, witnessed by several children, including some of Grosdidier's own.

What happened next was disputed. Simonson told investigators he kept a handgun in the console of his black 2025 Chevrolet Silverado. He said he heard shouting and saw Grosdidier coming around the front of his vehicle, advancing aggressively. Feeling threatened, Simonson said he stepped out of the truck with his Walther handgun, pointed it at Grosdidier, and fired, then fired again because he believed the other man was still coming toward him. He later told officers, “He just came at me.” However, a dash-cam video from another vehicle and witness statements painted a different picture. According to a summary filed by prosecutors, the recording shows Grosdidier walking to the driver's side of the truck just as Simonson throws open the door, already holding the gun. The footage reportedly shows Simonson advancing toward Grosdidier and firing multiple times almost immediately, as Grosdidier begins to turn away.

At 11:43 a.m., numerous 911 calls reported shots fired. An off-duty police officer at the complex ran to the scene and found Simonson holding a handgun and Grosdidier on the ground with trauma to his upper body. Officers and medics attempted life-saving measures, but Grosdidier was pronounced dead in the parking lot. Simonson was taken into custody at the scene. In the chaos, dash-cam video showed Grosdidier’s wife rushing toward her husband’s body, only to stop and raise her hands when Simonson pointed the gun at her.

As the case moved into the courts, those who knew Grosdidier were left to absorb the suddenness of his death. Friends and colleagues described him as a kind, hard-working man whose greatest joy was his large family. He worked in operations for Southcentral Foundation and was remembered as a welcoming presence at the Nudlaghi Leadership Institute in Lake Clark National Park, where he spent summers. An obituary noted he was the son of former Southcentral Foundation president and CEO Katherine Gottlieb, and a beloved husband, brother, and father. A celebration of his life was held at the Alaska Native Heritage Center on November 16, 2025, as a fundraiser gathered tens of thousands of dollars to support his wife and children.

Luke Simonson was charged with first- and second-degree murder in Grosdidier's death, as well as third-degree assault for pointing his gun at Grosdidier's wife. An Anchorage grand jury indicted him on all counts in mid-November 2025, and he subsequently entered a plea of not guilty. During an emotional court hearing in early December, Superior Court Judge Andrew Peterson reduced Simonson’s bail to $250,000, with conditions that he be placed on house arrest with electronic monitoring upon release. A family member later posted the bail. As of December 2025, the case was proceeding through the court system.