KMXT 100.1 FM Public Radio in Kodiak, Alaska
The Kodiak Police Department is currently investigating an alleged assault that occurred downtown early Sunday morning. Kodiak resident Dan Unruh was found severely beaten around 4:30 a.m. outside the Village Bar. Police officers and EMS personnel were summoned to the area and transported Unruh to Providence Kodiak Island Medical Center. He was later medevaced to Anchorage where he is currently in the hospital.
Police Chief T.C. Kamai said little is known about the events leading up to when Unruh was found, and the police department is asking that community members who may have knowledge come forward to help with the investigation.
“We know we have one subject who was involved in an altercation, that’s been corroborated by other witnesses. But there are also two other people seen in the area, we do not know if they were involved in the assault or not at this point. We don’t believe so, but we know they were in the area and they are potentially witnesses.”
Video footage taken from the downtown area has helped put together bits and pieces of the early morning incident, but Kamai said no suspects have been identified.
Unruh worked at KVOK radio station as a weekend hotline host and sportscaster, as well as reading the daily weather forecasts. General Manager Ellen Simenoff said they’ve worked with Cheryl Blondin at Credit Union 1 to set up an account to help Unruh and his family.
Unruh’s close friend, Robert Wagner, said in addition to a broken femur, Unruh sustained multiple shoulder and face fractures. He said it’s not clear how long he’ll have to be in the hospital, or if he’ll be able to go to work after that, so it’s been amazing to see the community step up and contribute to the Credit Union account.
As for what happened on Sunday morning, Wagner said it’s hard to believe something like that could happen in Kodiak, let alone to his good friend.
“When I first found out I was actually quite shocked. To me I wouldn’t be concerned if this was a black eye and a split lip. But this was not that. There’s a difference between getting in a fight and getting hurt and then there’s a difference between getting in a fight and having to be medevaced. That’s not a fight. That’s pushing someone’s safety and welfare and endangering their life essentially. I’m not sure if it’s a person or persons who have done it. There are a lot of rumors. I’m just standing back and waiting for the police to tell me what they find. I just hope he has a speedy recovery. Hopefully the police find out what happened."
Wagner said he has spoken with Unruh a handful of times this week and he seems to be doing fairly well, though some conversations are better than others.
All things considered, Wagner said it’s been amazing to watch folks reach out to Unruh and his family during this time of need.
“I just want to send a big thank out to the whole Kodiak community from the police department to everybody who’s contacted me, everybody who’s contanted Daniel and Sandy Unruh, his mother. They’re really appreciative, they probably have not returned every phone call, every text message or every Facebook message or email message, but I promise you they are very appreciative. And I hope if anybody can help out financially, please go down to Credit Union 1 and just say you’d like to donate to the Dan Unruh account, or if you want to donate in another way, or if anybody actually has any information on this case feel free to go to crime stoppers and tell they what you may know of have witnessed.”
It’s not known when Unruh will be released from the hospital, and Police Chief Kamai said the Sunday morning fight remains under investigation.
