Trooper SWAT team brings suspect back to face trial after Fairbanks Police gets tips on his whereabouts
A 25-year-old man has been arrested and charged with three counts of first-degree assault for shooting a person in Fairbanks on June 9.
Davante Beetus-Nelson was apprehended in Stevens Village 10 days later, after investigators got tips alleging that he was the shooter and was hiding out in the village about 90 air miles northwest of Fairbanks.
Fairbanks Police Chief Ron Dupee said officers got an eyewitness report of the shooting that occurred near the intersection of 15th Avenue and Stacia Street.
“One of the individuals pulled out a gun and shot the other one in the abdomen,” Dupee said. “The other, the suspect, fled on foot, and we were unable to locate him until June 19th. [He was apprehended in Stevens Village by the state Trooper SWAT team.”
According to a charging document, a worker at a business near the intersection heard the two men arguing near an intersection. The witness said he saw one of the men pull out a cellphone and tell the other that he’s going to take a photo “In case something happens.”
The witness told investigators the other man, who he later identified as Beetus-Nelson, pulled out a handgun and shot the victim, the charging document said. The witness called 911, then went to the scene of the shooting to help the victim. By then, the suspect was gone.
Two Fairbanks police officers who responded to the call bandaged the victim’s wounds [where the bullet passed through his abdomen], and EMS personnel took him to Fairbanks Memorial Hospital, according to the charging document. He was later transported to a hospital in Seattle.
Police then began looking for Beetus-Nelson and issued a $100,000 warrant for his arrest. On June 11th, a detective working on the case was contacted by a Village Public Safety Officer and an anonymous caller, both of whom identified Beetus-Nelson as the shooter.
Detectives continued investigating the case and searching for Beetus-Nelson until last week, when Dupee, the police chief, said they got a break in the case.
“ On June 19th,” he said, “he was spotted in Stevens Village, and the Northern Regional SWAT team went out to Stevens Village and took him into custody without any incident.”
Beetus-Nelson was taken to Fairbanks Correctional Center, where he’s being held. According to court documents, bail is set at $100,000.
In addition to the three counts of first-degree assault, he’s also charged with third-degree assault and one count of weapons misconduct, for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
A preliminary hearing is set for Tuesday.
