Steven Williams, 22, a White/Caucasian male, was working the overnight shift at the Speedway Express gas station on Glacier View Avenue in Palmer in the early hours of September 2, 2024, when a man walked in, drew a handgun, and opened fire. Police arrived just after 12:40 a.m. to find Williams behind the counter with multiple gunshot wounds, and investigators collected nine shell casings at the scene.
Surveillance video described in charging documents shows the shooter entering with his face covered, turning toward the register, firing, and then leaning over the counter to fire additional shots. Williams died at the scene.
By that afternoon, Palmer police had identified and arrested a suspect, 22-year-old Isaac Beshaw of Palmer, on a charge of first-degree murder. According to a sworn affidavit summarized in local reporting, Beshaw told investigators the shooting followed a roughly two-year feud and that he had reached “a boiling point.” He was arraigned the next day in Palmer court.
Authorities also alleged evidence tampering connected to the killing. Local updates reported that investigators developed probable cause for first-degree murder and tampering with physical evidence, after which Beshaw was remanded to Mat-Su Pretrial; records further note he was listed as “arrested, unharmed” in national incident tracking. Police characterized the attack as an isolated incident with no continuing threat to the public.
In the days that followed, friends and family publicly mourned Williams, a 22-year-old Palmer resident remembered in memorials and community posts, while the criminal case against Beshaw moved forward in court.
