On Friday, at approximately 8:04 p.m., it was reported to the Alaska State Troopers that there had been a shooting in the village of Circle.

Troopers from the Alaska Bureau of Investigation and the Fairbanks Rural Unit responded to the scene and began an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death.

The preliminary investigation determined that 66-year-old Walter V. John, of Circle, and 55-year-old Raymond Nathaniel, also of Circle, had been drinking together at John’s residence when an altercation occurred. During the incident, John shot Nathaniel in the abdomen with a shotgun. Nathaniel sustained fatal injuries and succumbed to his wounds shortly afterward.

John was taken into custody and arrested on a charge of Murder in the First Degree. He was transported to Fairbanks and remanded to the Fairbanks Correctional Center pending further court proceedings.

The investigation remains ongoing, and additional details may be released as they become available.

Nathaniel’s next of kin have been notified of his death.