A well-known Ketchikan resident was sent to Seattle for medical treatment after he was allegedly pushed off a nearly 30-foot cliff into a creek. The man’s name is Robert Henderson and in recent days, Ketchikan residents took to Facebook to express anger and sadness at the news that Henderson had died from the fall. Except that he didn’t.
“No, I’d be the first person to know if I was dead,” Henderson joked from his hospital room in Seattle. He says he sustained a few cracked ribs and a busted shoulder, but he’s alive.
Henderson was medevacked to Seattle following an altercation that took place in mid-February. Ketchikan police say that, following an argument, another man attacked Henderson and kicked him off a cliff near the local homeless shelter. Henderson fell roughly 30 feet into the bed of Ketchikan Creek below.
Henderson – who is tall and often sporting a beard – was affectionately nicknamed “Gandalf” by patrons of a local bar he frequents called The Asylum. That bar is also where the grim rumors started this week. An unnamed patron called the bar to share the tragic news about the man who could often be seen listening to music on the second floor.
Word spreads quickly in small town Alaska and soon enough, the grief and frustration of Ketchikan residents rippled outward and spilled onto Facebook. “So sad and shameful,” one community member wrote. Another expressed frustration at what they say is a rise in crime and decline in mental health resources in Ketchikan.
As for Henderson, he says he’s looking forward to returning to Ketchikan.
“I should be back next week. Full recovery, things are looking up,” he said.
Darian Bliss, the man who allegedly kicked Henderson, faces one felony count of second degree assault from the incident. Bliss’ trial is scheduled for May 13.
Get in touch with the author at jack@krbd.org.
CLARIFICATION: A previous version of this story stated that the altercation in which Robert Henderson was pushed from the ledge occurred at the local homeless shelter. According to the criminal complaint, the incident occurred on a concrete ledge located behind the two local homeless shelters but not on First City Haven or PATH properties. Thus, the original cover photo for this story may have been misleading.
