Diego Joe was a caring father and brother, a man his mother remembered for always being there for his family. On June 1, 2024, the 25-year-old Hispanic man was outside a downtown Anchorage bar just after closing time when his life was cut short by gunfire. Anchorage police officers on patrol for the bar break heard the shots crack through the 700 block of West 4th Avenue at about 2:25 a.m.
They rushed to the scene and found Diego Joe in an alcove behind the Pioneer Bar, where he had been fatally struck by multiple gunshots. A second man nearby had been shot in the leg but survived his injuries.
The violence had erupted just moments earlier. According to investigators, Diego and a 22-year-old man named Kaleb Bourdukofsky had exchanged words inside a bar. Surveillance video from outside showed that as Bourdukofsky was being escorted out a back door, Diego, who was in a group of people, punched him. The two men fought until bystanders pulled them apart. As Bourdukofsky walked away from the group, he produced a handgun and fired multiple rounds in their direction. The shots struck Diego, who fell to the ground motionless, and wounded the other man.
The police response was immediate. As witnesses pointed out the fleeing shooter, Officers Parker Boydston and Jordan Varak pursued Bourdukofsky through a nearby parking lot. They saw him running with a pistol in his hand and repeatedly commanded him to drop it. When he did not comply, the officers opened fire, wounding him near the corner of 3rd Avenue and G Street just 66 seconds after he had allegedly shot Diego. Bourdukofsky was taken to a hospital for his injuries and then into custody. Homicide detectives began an investigation that involved reviewing hundreds of videos from security cameras and cell phones that captured the chaotic night.
On June 7, 2024, an Anchorage grand jury indicted Kaleb Bourdukofsky on charges including first-degree murder, two counts of second-degree murder, and multiple counts of assault. He initially pleaded not guilty. A separate investigation by the state’s Office of Special Prosecutions concluded in July 2024 that the two officers were legally justified in their use of force when they shot and wounded Bourdukofsky during his capture.
The case against Kaleb Bourdukofsky moved through the court system for the next two years. In July 2026, Bourdukofsky, then 24 years old, entered into a plea agreement with prosecutors. He pleaded guilty to felony counts of manslaughter and second-degree assault, as well as a misdemeanor count of fourth-degree assault. In exchange for his plea, the state agreed to drop all other charges, including the original counts of murder. His sentencing was scheduled for December 2026.
