Anchorage, Alaska

From Anchorage’s KTVA.com of August 26, 2005

No Charges Filed

Five months after a fatal shoot out at the Dimond Center Mall we learn there will be no charges filed. On March first of this year, fourteen-year-old Calil Gross-Mininall was fatally wounded after being hit by gunfire. The crime sent shockwaves thru the Anchorage community. Bullets were fired mid afternoon with shoppers just feet away. Today investigators along with the DA's office say the evidence collected revealed a group of young men including the victim walked out into the parking lot. Gross-Mininall had a handgun, as did another boy. They then say, gross-Mininall fired the first shot, seriously injuring a boy... And then one of the other boys fired back. District Attorney Bob Linton said, “Under these circumstances we concluded that we could not disprove self defense. We could not prove the three men were not justified in using force to fire back in the exchange of gunfire.” Police Chief Walt Monegan says, “I can tell you that the anchorage (sic) police department and district attorneys office are extremely frustrated in a case like this whenever someone is killed in our community, it is our job to try and find out who did it and was it justified and in this case we couldn’t find out neither.” Police say the statements of the three young men differed as to who on their side did the shooting. There were no other eyewitnesses or physical evidence to prove which of the three fired the shot that killed Gross-Mininall. If new evidence or witnesses come forward, .the DA's office says they will re-consider filing charges. Meanwhile both the police and the DA's office say their goal is to perfect self-defense laws to better hold people accountable.