A man in Fairbanks, Alaska, has been arrested for the fatal shooting of a bar employee who had kicked him out. The suspect, 21-year-old Derrick Dewayne McCormick Jr., allegedly shot and killed 43-year-old Zachariah Hobbs in the early hours of January 15, according to the Fairbanks Police Department.
The incident began after McCormick was removed from the bar, reportedly because of inappropriate behavior. Police say he had threatened to return with a firearm and even tried to sneak back into the bar the same night he was kicked out in late November. Hobbs, the employee who removed him, was shot in the bar’s parking lot after someone called 911 around 3:15 a.m. to report hearing gunshots and seeing a person on the ground.
Strangely, the 911 caller turned out to be McCormick himself. However, the dispatcher became suspicious during the nearly 19-minute call. Police said McCormick gave false information and conflicting statements about where he was. Despite claiming to be in a different location, officers found him several blocks away from the scene.
A female employee at the bar also came forward with her observations. She told police that McCormick had made her uncomfortable before. On one occasion in late November, he kept touching her hand, which led to him being kicked out of the bar. She also recalled seeing him at a restaurant on January 11, where he worked as a cook. Feeling uneasy after noticing him staring at her, she canceled her order and left, but McCormick reportedly followed her outside and verbally harassed her.
On the night of the shooting, video footage captured a person matching McCormick’s description lingering around the bar’s parking lot for about 45 minutes, starting at 2:30 a.m. The footage also shows an altercation between this person and Hobbs just before Hobbs was shot. The suspect then ran from the scene.
Police followed McCormick’s footprints from the parking lot to where they found him. A search of his home revealed ammunition and a receipt for a gun he had purchased on December 23. However, the firearm used in the shooting has not been found.
McCormick has been charged with first-degree murder and made his initial court appearance on January 16. Investigators are continuing to piece together the evidence.
