Double shooting in Unalaska


Wednesday, July 01 2009
Unalaska, AK – Two early morning shooting incidents in Unalaska are currently under investigation. According to court documents, Jason Tungul was brought to the health clinic at about 5 am Wednesday. Clinic employee Natalie Miller contacted the police saying that Tungul had been shot. Police officers reported to the clinic and saw four gunshot wounds on Tungul's body, including on his abdomen, his shoulder, his back, and a grazing wound on his head. An x-ray showed a bullet lodged in his upper right torso.
Before Tungul was medevaced to Anchorage with a collapsed lung, he told Sgt. Matt Betzen that he went to Daniel Cortez's residence at 1 am. He said that Cortez, 25, tried to convince him to take some sort of drug but when he refused, Cortez pulled out a handgun and shot him. Tungul said he believed that Cortez shot him because he thought Tungul was an undercover narc, or police informant.
Tungul was transported to the clinic some hours later by his girlfriend after she picked him up from work. She saw him vomit blood.
Later that morning, around 9 am, Sgt. Betzen said the police went to Cortez's residence by Amelia's Restaurant to serve an arrest warrant for attempted murder in the first degree.
"When they attempted to serve the arrest warrant, they found that the suspect had also been shot," he said. "And both shootings are under investigation right now and it would be premature of me to try to render any detailed explanation of exactly what happened."
The police were not involved with the gun fire. "The police officers did not discharge their weapons and as far as we can determine at this point, there were no weapons fired while the police officers were there."
Cortez was also medevaced to Anchorage. As of Wednesday afternoon, both men were in serious condition and receiving care in Anchorage. Both incidents are under investigation and police officers are collecting evidence at various locations in town. Cortez is being charged with attempted murder.