A death reported as a suicide in Atmautluak turned out to be a shooting, troopers say

When Alaska State Troopers were called to Atmautluak on July 1, the death of a 28-year-old man had been reported as a suicide. The scene told a different story. Troopers found Byron Waska dead of a gunshot wound inside another man's home, and something about it didn't sit right.

State investigators took over and concluded that the homeowner, 36-year-old Levi Beaver, had shot Waska while intoxicated. Beaver was arrested the next day on charges including manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide, and is being held in Bethel.

The charges are accusations, and Beaver is presumed innocent unless proven guilty. Waska's body was sent to the State Medical Examiner's Office, and his family has been notified.