Grieving mother speaks out after son shot in unsolved Anchorage slaying

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – For more than a week, Jaconette Patterson still had more questions than answers about what exactly happened to her 30-year-old son, Denaris Patterson.

Apart from knowing that he was the victim of an early morning murder Oct. 15 near East Sixth Avenue and Boniface Parkway near San Juan Circle, she said many details of the incident remain unclear.

“I don’t know what was going on at the time, but the police haven’t really told me anything yet. They just said they don’t have a suspect,” Patterson said. “I think where it started was in Rocky Mountain Court and then it ended up on … Sixth (Avenue).

“I think what happened? Like, how did he get from there to there?”

Around 6:52 a.m. that Tuesday, officers with the Anchorage Police Department responded to a report of a man firing a gun in the parking lot of the 5700 block of Rocky Mountain Court, where they believe they found Denaris’ body.

While police have not yet released Denaris’ name, as officers said the man was pronounced dead at the scene from a gunshot wound to the upper body, they confirmed in a statement that the incident was related to what may have turned into a standoff by special forces that lasted more than 10 hours on Rocky Mountain Court.

Denarius Patterson, 30, in a photo shared by his mother Jaconette Patterson. she... — Denarius Patterson, 30, in a photo shared by his mother Jaconette Patterson. She says her son is the man police found shot to death in North Anchorage on Tuesday, Oct. 15.(Alaska News Source)

The police department said that evening that officers were ready it is impossible to find the person you are interested in who they are still looking for. Alaska News Source reached out to APD for an update on that search, but has not heard back.

Patterson said she left Alaska five years ago to settle in Memphis, Tennessee. She returned to Anchorage last week to begin funeral arrangements for her son, who she said was best remembered as a “goofy, loving man.”

“He was always happy,” Patterson said. “Every time you see him, you see this big smile. He loved his family. He was just a man with a big heart.”

Patterson said she first learned of the news after reading the Alaska news and noted that “another person has been shot in Alaska.”

A few hours later, her cousin called her and told her that people in the area said it might be Daenerys who was shot. The news was only confirmed after APD contacted a detective in Memphis.

In addition to not knowing the details of her son’s murder, she is also frustrated with APD’s overall response. She said she still questions how police could have spent so much time in the standoff only to come away empty-handed.

Sixth Avenue in Northeast Anchorage was closed after a shooting was reported.(Nolene Ainsworth)

“My brother was standing there the whole time, waiting to see, I don’t know. I don’t even know where they got the information that (the suspect) is still in the house. It was like nine hours wasted by you guys.”

She said APD has not released the name of the person of interest she believes is connected to the murder, but she believes she knows the person of interest’s name and has even seen a photo of him.

While police have not yet released the name of the person of interest, Patterson said she believes the person is an out-of-state resident and is concerned the person may have fled the state in the hours spent in the unsuccessful standoff.

While she continues to wait for a response, she said she has a message for this person of interest, wherever they are.

“Why did you shoot him? You guys could fight, fight, whatever was going on there,” Patterson said. “You didn’t have to shoot him because he wasn’t armed, so he wasn’t a threat to you, and that’s how I feel.”

Denarys is survived by his four-year-old daughter and younger sister, who still live in Anchorage. Born and raised in Anchorage, he attended Fairview Elementary School and Clark Junior High School before transferring to Bettye Davis East High School. Later, he graduated from the Military Youth Academy.