Photo by Michael Armstrong Charlie S. "Yukon Charlie" Young is escorted into the Homer District Court by jail officers on Monday.

Swanger died at the scene of his wounds. An autopsy is being done by the Alaska State Medical Examiner.

Homer Police said six people involved, including Young and Swanger, had been drinking heavily at a small party at Young's home. Young had a .211 breath-alcohol level when tested four hours later and was so drunk on Sunday he couldn't appear in court.

"Lots of alcohol and guns involved," said Homer Police Chief Mark Robl. "It was a bad combination in this case."

Three other people involved, David Guetschow, 63, Larry Mitchell Jr., 42, and Christa D. Eisaman, 36, have been charged with first-degree hindering prosecution, a felony. Eisaman was at the murder scene, police said.

At 11:57 p.m. Saturday, police went to the cluster of motor homes, cabins, trailers and tents at the end of East Bunnell Avenue near Beluga Slough after receiving a 911 call that a man had been shot. Alaska State Troopers also responded. Police found Young waiting inside his camper trailer and saw a body at the front door of Young's trailer. Police arrested Young without incident after he stepped out of the trailer.

According to a criminal complaint, in an interview with Officer Cory Rupe, Young said that Swanger and a woman came to Young's home and got in an argument. He said Swanger also insulted another woman there. Young asked Swanger to leave, police said. Swanger swore at Young. Young pulled out a loaded .357 magnum revolver from under his pillow.

Young couldn't recall the sequence of events, Rupe wrote, first saying he pointed the revolver at Swanger and then saying Swanger took the gun from him. Young said Swanger hit him three times in the face. He said Swanger then fired several shots from outside the trailer and then shot at Young, hitting Young's bed and nearly hitting him in the leg.

Swanger pointed the revolver at his face, Young told police. Young then picked up a shotgun lying next to his bed and shot Swanger with one barrel of the double-barrel shotgun, Rupe alleged. Robl said the shotgun was loaded with birdshot.

Police did not find the shotgun at Young's home Saturday night.

Homer News file photo "Yukon" Charlie Young poses at his former shop on the Homer Spit.

Police said Guetschow and Mitchell denied knowing anything about the shooting. According to an affidavit written by Sgt. Lary Kuhns, police allege right after the shooting, Eisaman fled with the shotgun, a 12-gauge Stevens Arms double-barrel shotgun and took it to a home occupied by Guetschow and Mitchell next door. Police alleged Eisaman gave the shotgun to Mitchell, who then hid it. Eisaman said the shotgun she fled with from Young's home was not the one he used to shoot Swanger. She also said she threw the shotgun in some bushes near Guetschow's home, police allege.

Police recovered the missing shotgun Monday morning, Robl said, and believe it is the murder weapon. Both barrels of the shotgun had been cut off and had Young's name inscribed on it. The barrel length was still within the legal limit, Robl said.

At his hearing on Monday, Judge Murphy set bail at $250,000 with a third-party custodian. He also was ordered not to have contact with witnesses to the shooting, including Eisaman and three other people at the shooting scene.

Young said a public defender called him at the Homer Jail on Monday. Young said he was retired and on social security and gets public assistance. Murphy said the court would appoint counsel.

Young, commonly known as "Yukon Charlie," is an artist and woodcarver who used to have a booth, Stray Dog Studio, at a Lighthouse Village arts and craft complex at the base of the Homer Spit. Young carved decorative spirit houses and tree spirits from cottonwood bark and other wood.

First-degree murder is an unclassified felony punishable by up to 99 years in jail and a $500,000 fine, with a mandatory sentence of 20 years in prison.

Robl said Swanger's death is the first murder within Homer city limits since Odie Walters shot Neil Miller with a 30.06 rifle at the home of Walters's estranged wife in June 1989. Mephibosheth "Moshe" Wilkinson was killed by Leonard Wallace just outside city limits on East Skyline Drive in August 2004. Wallace pleaded no contest to second-degree murder and will be sentenced next month.

Michael Armstrong can be reached at michael.armstrong@homernews.com.