ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - A 61-year-old homeless man found dead Thursday in Anchorage, according to police. That makes the fifth local homeless person to die in less than two weeks.
John Lory Good either sat or lay down outside a cafe and witnesses say it looked like he had passed out or was taking a nap, KTVA-TV reported (https://bit.ly/1KpYkcw ). About 15 minutes later, people noticed that good wasn’t breathing and started CPR, said police spokeswoman Renee Oistad.
Medics continued CPR after arrival but ultimately declared Good dead.
Oistad said there were no signs of foul play. It will be several weeks before the autopsy report is available from the medical examiner’s office, she said.
Four other homeless people were found dead in Anchorage last week and none of the deaths are considered suspicious, police said earlier.
Chester Ferreira, 59, was discovered near an interaction on July 13. Hikers found 23-year-old Destry Murphy in the woods two days later. A few hours after that, Daniel Chapman, 54, was discovered dead in a tent near Valley of the Moon Park. They next day, the body of Harry O. Oxereok, Jr., 34, was found near Brother Francis Shelter.
Clients and staff gathered at Bean’s Cafe on Friday to remember lost lives with prayer, Native drumming and singing.
One attendee, Calvin Curtis, said he was a longtime friend of Good’s and that the man struggled with alcoholism.
“I hope you guys get through all this pain and heartache in a healthy way,” Samuel Johns, an activist who organized the gathering, said to the crowd. “Because it will make you stronger. Numbing your pain will make you weaker.”
Good’s niece, Ruth Ballot, said she was present when her uncle died.
Ballot said she brought him food from time to time and fed Good his last meal — potato salad and barbecue baked chicken.
“I was happy that I was able to be here for him,” said Ballot, who described her uncle as humble and quiet.
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Information from: KTVA-TV, https://www.ktva.com
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