Deadly Confrontation at Gaslight Bar: One Dead, Three Wounded in Anchorage’s Violent Night

On July 20, 2025, a deadly shooting unfolded outside the Gaslight Lounge in downtown Anchorage, Alaska, around 2:50 a.m., just before the 3 a.m. bar closure. Security footage shows two masked men, one identified as 23-year-old Leroy Manogiamanu, approaching the bar alongside several women. The men never entered the establishment. A fight broke out between two women, escalating when Manogiamanu and another man got into an altercation with security guards. Manogiamanu pulled a pistol, firing on the crowd and wounding two security guards—one shot seven times, another in the hand—and grazing a female patron inside with a stray bullet through a window. A third security guard, an ex-military member, retrieved a tactical rifle from his car and fatally shot Manogiamanu, halting the attack. Police estimate 100 people were in the area during the chaotic scene, with bystanders taking cover and a swift police response following.

Anchorage police arrived within a minute, with approximately 30 officers and supervisors responding. The investigation remains active, with no charges filed against the guard who killed Manogiamanu, as Alaska law permits deadly force in defense of life. The Gaslight’s owner, John Pattee, stated the women involved were previously banned from the bar for fighting and were linked to the group with Manogiamanu. Pattee emphasized his bar’s robust security, including 25 cameras, facial recognition, and trained staff, but noted increasing violence in the area around bar closing time. The Gaslight, located across from police headquarters, has seen multiple shootings in recent years, including fatal incidents in 2024.