Man who found body of 'Into the Wild' wanderer killed by cops

Anchorage, Alaska • A relative says a man fatally shot by authorities in Alaska over the weekend was a moose hunter who found the body of a young wanderer whose story was featured in the movie "Into the Wild."

Alaska State Troopers say 52-year-old Gordon Samel was killed Sunday night after he backed his pickup toward a Wasilla police officer north of Anchorage.

Samel was among three hunters who discovered the body of Christopher McCandless in an abandoned bus on the Stampede Trail near Healy made famous by the book by Jon Krakauer and film directed by Sean Penn.

Remo Samel, Gordon Samel's nephew, says his uncle signed a copy of Krakauer's book a few years ago after giving a ride to German visitors looking for the bus.

He says his uncle was a good man.