Sandpoint shooting victim identified

By Cameron Rasmusson
Reader Staff

The victim in a shooting at the Meandering Moose last week has been identified, while the suspect remains at large. 

According to the city, Blas Salvador Alonzo “Duke” Dias, 34, is the man who was shot in an altercation that took place shortly before 7 p.m. Aug. 6. Police arrived on the scene that evening to find Dias with a gunshot wound to the chest and his assailant already gone. Dias was transported to Bonner General Health, where he died of his wounds. 

According to Sandpoint Police, Dias was shot at the front door of his apartment at the Meandering Moose located at 317 Marion Ave. The shooter made his escape on foot after shooting Dias when he opened his door. 

The investigation into the shooting is ongoing, with a handgun located at the scene and believed to have been used in the shooting set to be shipped to a lab for testing. Police are also interviewing and collecting DNA samples from individuals believed to have been involved. The victim’s preliminary autopsy results indicate he died of a single small-caliber gunshot wound, and his toxicology results are also yet to be released.   

The perpetrator is described as a darker-skinned male 20 to 40 years old, 5 feet 6 inches to 6 feet tall and wearing a light-blue T-shirt and tan shorts. He remains at large.