Southwest Alaska man acquitted of murder in 2017 shooting

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) – A 21-year-old southwest Alaska man has been acquitted of murder charges in the 2017 death of an off-duty village public safety officer. Television station KTUU reports that a Bethel jury found Adam Williams of Napaskiak not guilty of murdering 26-year-old Kyle Wassillie of Nunapitchuk. Williams’ attorney is Andrew Dunmire of the Alaska Public Defender Agency and he argued that Williams acted in self-defense. Dunmire says Wassillie had acted aggressively, got into a fight with Williams and was kicked out of a Napaskiak home. He says Williams armed himself, and when Wassillie reentered the home, Wassillie was shot. Williams told investigators he had no memory of the shooting. He did not testify.