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Chevak Man Shoots Village Police Officer Before Taking Own Life

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One person is dead and another wounded after an armed conflict yesterday in the village of Chevak.

Alaska State Troopers report that Harold Paniyak, age 24, shot a Village Police Officer, 40-year-old Derrick McDonald, and then turned the gun on himself, committing suicide.  

According to another VPO, the suspect shot the officer three times before taking his own life. The suspect died instantly, and McDonald,, wounded, was medevaced to an Anchorage hospital for treatment of life threatening injuries.

Tribal officials from Chevak suspect alcohol to be the primary factor in the incident.  

This was not the young man's first encounter with the law:

In 2009 Paniyak was charged with assault and consuming alcohol in a dry village. The charges were dismissed.

In 2012 he pled guilty, and was convicted, for underage consumption of alcohol.

In 2013 Paniyak was charged with another count of assault; again charges were dismissed.

Paniyak had been a cross-country runner, placing in the state competition in high school. His next of kin have been notified of his death.