Anchor Point man arrested after shots fired at Homer health nonprofit

Homer police arrested a man Monday as the suspected shooter in three shootings at two local nonprofits.

Homer Police Chief Mark Robl said officers found and arrested 30-year-old Josiah Kelly of Anchor Point Monday evening after a second shooting at the Kachemak Bay Family Planning Clinic Administration and Education Building. The clinic had also been shot at earlier in the day.

Kachemak Bay Recovery Connection, an organization that helps people recovering from substance use disorders, also had its building shot at in late October.

“Kelly confessed to all three of our shootings,” Robl said. “His motive for the shootings is essentially that he did them for religious reasons.”

Robl said they believe Kelly acted alone in the shooting. A denominational crisis pregnancy center in Wasilla was also destroyed last week, but Robl said he did not believe the cases were related.

Claudia Haines, the family planning clinic's executive director, told KBBI after the first shooting that someone fired eight shots at the clinic Monday morning.

“Luckily no one was injured because it was before work started. But it’s frightening for staff and volunteers,” she said.

Charging documents say Haines told Homer police after the first shooting that Kelly had canceled the clinic's trash service “because he disagreed with family planning.” According to state business records, Kelly is listed as the owner of Rubbish Removed and Recycled in Homer.

The Family Planning Clinic provides reproductive health services throughout most of the Kenai Peninsula. In addition to health checks and pregnancy tests, the clinic also offers gender-specific care, contraceptives and testing for sexually transmitted infections.

This is not the first time the organization has been targeted. The family planning clinic's Pride flags were also vandalized last year. Haines said they are already preparing for more public attention.

“Reproductive healthcare is a very sensitive issue right now, even though access to it is a universal right,” she said. “So we have been preparing for something, but we are deeply saddened that someone would risk hurting people to send such a message.”

Willy Dunne is Vice President of the Board of Directors for Kachemak Bay Recovery Connection. He said the shooting caused great fear in the community but progress was being made.

“It was certainly a setback, but there is a really healthy, vibrant recovery community here and people who are not only willing but genuinely interested in helping people recover from alcohol and substance use disorders,” Dunne said. “That’s why we’re really looking forward to continuing to develop our facility and our programs.”

Kelly is currently being held at Homer Prison. He was arraigned Tuesday morning at the Homer Courthouse. Kelly was charged with multiple counts of weapons-related misconduct and criminal mischief, both of which are felonies. His pretrial is scheduled for Nov. 22 at the Kenai Courthouse.