Troopers investigating Tyonek man's death after domestic disturbance

Joseph Standifer, 48, died after neighbors in Tyonek heard two gunshots Saturday, Sept. 5, and found him wounded, Alaska State Troopers said. His remains were sent to the State Medical Examiner's Office for an autopsy, and no cause of death has been determined.

Troopers received the disturbance report at 6:26 p.m. involving Standifer and his girlfriend. Soldotna troopers and the Alaska Bureau of Investigation, the troopers' unit for major investigations, responded. They determined that during a physical altercation, Standifer fired one round into the ground and a second into his own chest. Another family member witnessed the altercation from inside the home.

Troopers notified next of kin. The dispatch did not include statements from Standifer's girlfriend, the witnessing family member or others present.