On the morning of August 22, 2024, gunfire rattled a camp just off the 1000-block of East 5th Avenue in Anchorage. Responding around 10:15 a.m., officers found 48-year-old white Carl Washington, male, down with a gunshot wound to his upper body; he was pronounced dead at the scene. Police quickly circulated images and a description of a suspect seen fleeing on a bicycle from the encampment near downtown.
By August 26, authorities publicly identified the victim as 48-year-old Carl Washington, male, after notifying next of kin.
The search for the gunman intensified into the next day. On August 23, multiple callers reported a man with a gun near the 200 block of North Post Road. Officers converged and spotted a cyclist matching the description. When they tried to stop him, the man fired at least one shot toward an officer and a nearby civilian vehicle; police returned fire and wounded him. The patrol encounter, which unfolded before a specialized team could take over, marked a volatile coda to the manhunt that had begun after the killing of 48-year-old Carl Washington, male, near the 5th Avenue camp.
As the suspect recovered, investigators built their case. In late September, prosecutors announced charges: one count of first-degree murder, two counts of second-degree murder, first-degree assault, two counts of third-degree assault, and third-degree weapons misconduct. The man, identified by police as 32-year-old Michael Alto, was remanded to the Anchorage Correctional Complex in connection with the homicide of 48-year-old Carl Washington, male, and the subsequent officer-involved shooting during his attempted arrest. An indictment followed, tying him to the killing at the camp and the later exchange of gunfire with police.
Months later, state prosecutors reviewed the officer's use of force during the August 23 confrontation and determined it was legally justified. Meanwhile, public records and memorial listings placed 48-year-old Carl Washington, male, at rest in Anchorage after the shooting, closing the geographical circle on a case that began at a vulnerable encampment and moved through a tense citywide search before settling into the courts.
