Anchorage police said that one of their officers had been “ambushed” and shot multiple times early Saturday morning.
At a 10 a.m. press conference, Anchorage Police Chief Christopher Tolley said that the officer is undergoing surgery for serious but not life-threatening wounds. APD said the suspect, who has not been identified, was shot and killed by responding officers.
Tolley said the officer, whose name will not be released for a “few days,” was trying to identify a theft suspect near Fifth Avenue and Cordova Street at 4:36 a.m. Saturday when the man approached the officer and began shooting.
“It was a clear and intentional ambush,” Tolley said. “But it will take a while to sort through the information and conduct interviews of those involved and other potential witnesses, as well as collecting other evidence.
Tolley said that he had seen video footage of the shooting, but said that police would be releasing few details about the incident.
“It wouldn’t be fair to put too much information out there right now because we don’t want witnesses to be swayed by the information that is put out there,” Tolley said.
Anchorage Mayor Ethan Berkowitz joined Chief Tolley at the press conference.
“It’s a reminder that when we hear sirens someone’s heading into danger, and they are doing it to make sure the entire community is safe. The response of the police department reflects a tremendous amount of, not just professionalism, but courage,” Berkowitz said.
The Anchorage officer is the second Alaska police officer in less than a month to be ambushed and shot. Fairbanks Police Sgt. Allen Brandt was shot multiple times by a theft suspect he was attempting to contact on Oct. 16. Brandt died 12 days later, from complications from his wounds.
The State Office of Special Prosecutions will determine if the officers’ use of force was justified and APD’s Office of Internal Inspections will determine if their use of force was within department policy.
Both officers who fired their weapons have been placed on administrative leave for four days, per department policy, and their names will be released within 72 hours.
