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CHARGES: Felon just out of jail accused of killing Fort Rich GI outside The Woodshed Lounge.
By LISA DEMER ldemer@adn.com
Published: December 1st, 2008 11:12 PM
Last Modified: December 1st, 2008 12:05 AM
A convicted felon just 16 days out of jail is accused of shooting and killing a Fort Richardson soldier after a confrontation early Sunday in downtown Anchorage.
The suspect, Vongdeuane Vongthongdy, 26, was on probation for felony assault with a weapon at the time of the shooting. He isn't supposed to have a gun. But as he walked out of The Woodshed Lounge, he brandished a semiautomatic pistol and fired into the air, according to court papers detailing the charges against him.
Army Sgt. Evan Minnear, 24, an off-duty military police officer, approached the shooter. Witnesses later said he was trying to calm the situation and get Vongthongdy to stick around until Anchorage police arrived, the charges say.
But Minnear, who lasted through a 15-month tour in Iraq, wouldn't survive the encounter on Anchorage's streets. He died of a bullet to the upper torso.
Minnear grew up in Indiana, the older of two boys, a wrestler and cross-country runner in high school. His parents split up when he was young and his mom raised the boys around her large extended family, his aunt, Joni Breeden, said by phone from Anderson, Ind., Minnear's hometown. He liked being the protector, she said.
"The last time he was home was September '06, right before he went to Iraq. He was real excited. We were scared to death of, course," Breeden said.
He had bulked up, she said: "He went from this skinny blond kid to this buff man."
When Minnear's unit returned safely to the United States, his aunt said, "we quit worrying."
Outside The Woodshed early Sunday, a surveillance camera captured the event, though from a distance. It all happened just before 1 a.m.
Vongthongdy and four other men left the bar together. He had his gun out, pointed it in the air and bumped into a wall, the court papers say.
"His friends gathered him up and they had him put the gun away and walked off," the papers say.
Three of them then approached a silver Mercedes. Vongthongdy again held up the gun and this time fired a shot, which got other patrons' attention, the papers say. The Mercedes sped off.
Minnear, his girlfriend and another friend were leaving at about the same time as Vongthongdy and his group. Lounge security called a cab to take Minnear and his companions home. Then they heard the gunshot. Minnear walked toward the shooter. The women called for him to come back and wait for the cab. He didn't.
"As they walked toward the scene of the shooting, the girlfriend described that the shooter 'got into Evan's face' and Evan pushed the shooter away," the charging document says.
The man again pulled out his gun. The other woman in the trio said she shouted, "Put the f-----g gun down." In that same instant, Minnear was shot in the upper torso.
The video showed that three people either slipped or were pushed to the ground, including Minnear. As he got back up, Vongthongdy shot him, the court papers say.
One of Vongthongdy's companions told police the group didn't drink much during the half hour or so they were at The Woodshed. He said he did not feel threatened by the man who came up to the group asking about the gunshot. He said he never saw a weapon on Minnear but saw him push both Vongthongdy and another man. He then saw Vongthongdy shoot Minnear, according to the papers.
Callers told police the suspects took off in a small, dark sedan. Officers got to the area of Third Avenue and F Street and found Minnear, badly wounded. He was taken to a hospital, where he died about four hours later.
An off-duty probation officer saw the shooting and told police the shooter was Vongthongdy. An officer saw a dark sedan speeding off. Minutes after the first 911 call, police stopped the car at Ninth Avenue and E Street. Vongthongdy was a passenger. A pistol was visible in the front seat, the court papers say.
Vongthongdy eventually told police investigators that "he recalled everything except shooting the man." He said he knew he wasn't supposed to have a gun but "carried one for protection," the court papers say. He was sorry when he heard that Minnear was in the military. "He blamed his conduct on being drunk," according to the papers.
Vongthongdy was convicted last year of assault with a weapon, court records show. He was sent to jail in October after failing to report to his probation officer and admitting to the use of marijuana and methamphetamine. He got out Nov. 14.
Minnear's family is struggling to grasp what took him so fast, so randomly, his aunt said. It's like they are watching events unfold on TV, she said.
Minnear's girlfriend, who is in the military, and fellow soldiers called the family in Indiana on Monday.
"They told us he was well loved and a great guy and a leader," Breeden said.
He loved the outdoors and ran and hunted in Alaska, she said.
Minnear joined the Army in January 2003 and had been at Fort Richardson since October 2005. His unit returned from Iraq in November 2007, according to a Fort Richardson spokesman. In November of this year, he returned from a month at the National Training Center in Fort Irwin, Calif.
He was assigned to the 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division.
He had signed up for another four years and envisioned a long military career, Breeden said.
Now the family is making funeral arrangements.
Vongthongdy is being held at the Anchorage jail on $250,000 bail on charges of second-degree murder, third-degree weapons misconduct and fourth-degree weapons misconduct.
At his initial court appearance Monday, he said he didn't have a job or any money. The judge appointed him a public defender.
A young woman in military uniform took notes at the hearing. She said she was a friend of Minnear's girlfriend, who was too upset to be there.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Find Lisa Demer online at adn.com/contact/ldemer or call 257-4390.
http://www.adn.com/crime/story/608370.html
CHARGES: Felon just out of jail accused of killing Fort Rich GI outside The Woodshed Lounge.
By LISA DEMER ldemer@adn.com
Published: December 1st, 2008 11:12 PM
Last Modified: December 1st, 2008 12:05 AM
A convicted felon just 16 days out of jail is accused of shooting and killing a Fort Richardson soldier after a confrontation early Sunday in downtown Anchorage.
The suspect, Vongdeuane Vongthongdy, 26, was on probation for felony assault with a weapon at the time of the shooting. He isn't supposed to have a gun. But as he walked out of The Woodshed Lounge, he brandished a semiautomatic pistol and fired into the air, according to court papers detailing the charges against him.
Army Sgt. Evan Minnear, 24, an off-duty military police officer, approached the shooter. Witnesses later said he was trying to calm the situation and get Vongthongdy to stick around until Anchorage police arrived, the charges say.
But Minnear, who lasted through a 15-month tour in Iraq, wouldn't survive the encounter on Anchorage's streets. He died of a bullet to the upper torso.
Minnear grew up in Indiana, the older of two boys, a wrestler and cross-country runner in high school. His parents split up when he was young and his mom raised the boys around her large extended family, his aunt, Joni Breeden, said by phone from Anderson, Ind., Minnear's hometown. He liked being the protector, she said.
"The last time he was home was September '06, right before he went to Iraq. He was real excited. We were scared to death of, course," Breeden said.
He had bulked up, she said: "He went from this skinny blond kid to this buff man."
When Minnear's unit returned safely to the United States, his aunt said, "we quit worrying."
Outside The Woodshed early Sunday, a surveillance camera captured the event, though from a distance. It all happened just before 1 a.m.
Vongthongdy and four other men left the bar together. He had his gun out, pointed it in the air and bumped into a wall, the court papers say.
"His friends gathered him up and they had him put the gun away and walked off," the papers say.
Three of them then approached a silver Mercedes. Vongthongdy again held up the gun and this time fired a shot, which got other patrons' attention, the papers say. The Mercedes sped off.
Minnear, his girlfriend and another friend were leaving at about the same time as Vongthongdy and his group. Lounge security called a cab to take Minnear and his companions home. Then they heard the gunshot. Minnear walked toward the shooter. The women called for him to come back and wait for the cab. He didn't.
"As they walked toward the scene of the shooting, the girlfriend described that the shooter 'got into Evan's face' and Evan pushed the shooter away," the charging document says.
The man again pulled out his gun. The other woman in the trio said she shouted, "Put the f-----g gun down." In that same instant, Minnear was shot in the upper torso.
The video showed that three people either slipped or were pushed to the ground, including Minnear. As he got back up, Vongthongdy shot him, the court papers say.
One of Vongthongdy's companions told police the group didn't drink much during the half hour or so they were at The Woodshed. He said he did not feel threatened by the man who came up to the group asking about the gunshot. He said he never saw a weapon on Minnear but saw him push both Vongthongdy and another man. He then saw Vongthongdy shoot Minnear, according to the papers.
Callers told police the suspects took off in a small, dark sedan. Officers got to the area of Third Avenue and F Street and found Minnear, badly wounded. He was taken to a hospital, where he died about four hours later.
An off-duty probation officer saw the shooting and told police the shooter was Vongthongdy. An officer saw a dark sedan speeding off. Minutes after the first 911 call, police stopped the car at Ninth Avenue and E Street. Vongthongdy was a passenger. A pistol was visible in the front seat, the court papers say.
Vongthongdy eventually told police investigators that "he recalled everything except shooting the man." He said he knew he wasn't supposed to have a gun but "carried one for protection," the court papers say. He was sorry when he heard that Minnear was in the military. "He blamed his conduct on being drunk," according to the papers.
Vongthongdy was convicted last year of assault with a weapon, court records show. He was sent to jail in October after failing to report to his probation officer and admitting to the use of marijuana and methamphetamine. He got out Nov. 14.
Minnear's family is struggling to grasp what took him so fast, so randomly, his aunt said. It's like they are watching events unfold on TV, she said.
Minnear's girlfriend, who is in the military, and fellow soldiers called the family in Indiana on Monday.
"They told us he was well loved and a great guy and a leader," Breeden said.
He loved the outdoors and ran and hunted in Alaska, she said.
Minnear joined the Army in January 2003 and had been at Fort Richardson since October 2005. His unit returned from Iraq in November 2007, according to a Fort Richardson spokesman. In November of this year, he returned from a month at the National Training Center in Fort Irwin, Calif.
He was assigned to the 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division.
He had signed up for another four years and envisioned a long military career, Breeden said.
Now the family is making funeral arrangements.
Vongthongdy is being held at the Anchorage jail on $250,000 bail on charges of second-degree murder, third-degree weapons misconduct and fourth-degree weapons misconduct.
At his initial court appearance Monday, he said he didn't have a job or any money. The judge appointed him a public defender.
A young woman in military uniform took notes at the hearing. She said she was a friend of Minnear's girlfriend, who was too upset to be there.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Find Lisa Demer online at adn.com/contact/ldemer or call 257-4390.
http://www.adn.com/crime/story/608370.html