A man was pronounced dead and another was arrested following a Friday night confrontation at the Glory Hall, according to Juneau Police Department.
Tommy Floyd Bowers, 59, was arrested on charges of second-degree assault, said Lt. Krag Campbell in a news release, with more charges pending.
The arrest followed a confrontation Bowers had with Earl Saunders McKinley, 54, who fell 13 feet out of an open second-story window and struck his head after being pushed during an argument, according to police. Both McKinley and Bowers were residents of the shelter.
[Local emergency organizations hold urban avalanche exercise]
“This was a really tragic accident,” said Mariya Lovishchuk, executive director of the Glory Hall in a phone interview. “We’re working with community partners to help our staff and patrons to deal with it.”
Staff immediately responded to the incident and called 911, Lovishchuk said.
“The staff office is centrally located on the second floor. They were there immediately. They called 911 immediately. The paramedics appeared immediately. The response was as fast as I think it possibly could’ve been,” Lovishchuk said. “We’re really grateful for the extremely quick response by both the paramedics and JPD.”
Capital City Fire/Rescue personnel took McKinley to Bartlett Regional Hospital before the decision was made to medevac him to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle due to life-threatening injuries, Campbell said. McKinley was pronounced brain dead on Tuesday morning, according to police.
Bowers was arrested and taken to Lemon Creek Correctional Center after the altercation, Campbell said. The investigation is ongoing and more charges are pending against Bowers, Campbell said. Lovishchuk said the Glory Hall is also looking at the incident and seeing what can be done to prevent any such thing from happening again.
“We’re reviewing what happened,” Lovishchuk said. “It’s under continuous review.”
• Contact reporter Michael S. Lockett at 757-621-1197 or mlockett@juneauempire.com.
