A 29-year-old Alaska man has been arrested after his grandmother was found shot to death in her wheelchair earlier this week.
Brian Davenport reportedly told police he’d planned to kill someone else when he stole his grandfather’s handgun but changed his mind and shot 87-year-old Velma Koontz in the back of the head instead, KTUU reported.
The victim’s husband told police he had gone to the store, and, when he returned, found his handgun outside and his wife dead inside.
Less than an hour before, police said, Davenport called 911, gave an address, and then refused to reply to the dispatcher. An officer found Davenport pascing back and forth on the side of the road and brought him to Fairbanks Memorial Hospital, saying he was displaying “careless behavior” that included walking in the roadway.
Fairbanks Man Charged With Murder by kc wildmoon
Once police learned about Koontz’s death and Davenport’s connection, the officer who brought him to the hospital asked him about it. He replied that he had killed someone.
Davenport was brought in for questioning. He admitted stealing his grandfather’s gun and killing his grandmother after he was read his rights. He reportedly told detectives that he wanted his grandmother to go peacefully without worrying “about the legacy she left behind,” according to the charging documents. He compared his decision to shoot her in the back of the head to “pulling the plug.”
Police later learned that Koontz was in hospice care and had cancer.
Davenport was charged with first degree murder and was ordered held on a $5 million bail.
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[Featured image: Brian Davenport/KTUU screenshot]
