(Fairbanks, AK) – On May 10, a Fairbanks jury found Daniel Christensen guilty of three counts of Attempted Murder in the First Degree, one count of Misconduct Involving Weapons in the Second Degree, three counts of Assault in the Third Degree, and one count of Misconduct Involving Weapons in the Fourth Degree.
At approximately 4:30 a.m. on Aug. 15, 2022, Daniel Dubia, 18, Brandon Vorhees, 26, and Dean Howard, 19, were walking around downtown Fairbanks. Dubia pulled down a fire escape leading to an upstairs hallway in the defendant’s apartment building. Upon hearing noise, the defendant went outside with his .45 caliber Desert Eagle pistol and fired at the ground near Dubia.
Later that morning, at 5:15 a.m., the young men returned to the downtown area in a pick-up truck. While outside the defendant’s apartment building, Dubia threw a firecracker out the truck’s window. The defendant observed the truck driving slowly and testified that he believed the truck was demonstrating a “drive-by mentality.” When the defendant heard a loud noise that he believed to be gunshots, he took his Romarm Model Draco semiautomatic pistol, exited to the third-floor fire escape area and opened fire. The defendant emptied his magazine and fired 30 rounds of 7.62 x 39 mm ammunition at the truck as it drove away. The truck sustained 32 bullet impact defects. Fortunately, none of the victims were injured. At trial, the victims testified that they were in fear of being killed. Surveillance footage showed nothing being fired from the truck. The only casings recovered were fired by the defendant’s firearms. At no point during his interactions with the victims did Christensen call 911.
The Fairbanks Police Department stopped the truck and quickly initiated an investigation into the shooting. FPD secured the scene and collected evidence including cartridge casings and firecracker debris. Bullet impact defects were observed throughout 4th Avenue up to the U.S. Post Office on Barnette Street. When interviewed, Christensen, 36, admitted to firing at the truck in “self-defense.” The defendant told law enforcement that a jury would believe this was self-defense “especially in Fairbanks.”
The case was tried by Assistant District Attorney Katherine Gonsalves, supported by Paralegal Allison Watega. Upon conviction, Christensen was remanded to the Department of Corrections, while he awaits sentencing, which is currently scheduled for Oct 14, 2024, at 2:30 p.m. in front of Superior Court Judge Patricia Haines. Christensen faces a possible sentence of 5 to 99 years for each count of Attempted Murder I.
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