Nearly a dozen residents testified in front of the Juneau Assembly Monday night calling for more accountability from local law enforcement in the wake of a deadly shooting earlier this month.
Many testifiers, like Bonilyn Parker, asked the Assembly and Juneau Police Department for more transparency about what occurred when police shot and killed Steven Kissack downtown, and what’s being done to stop similar situations from happening again.
“This event was traumatizing for everyone involved — Steven’s friends and family, the many eyewitnesses and the officers involved,” she said.
Juneau police officials say they plan to release the body camera footage, but not until the investigation is complete.
In an interview, Deputy Chief of Police Krag Campbell said it would be shared with the public after the state Office of Special Prosecution gives a determination about whether the shooting was justified.
“The timeline that we’re looking at is going to be no later than 30 days after the Office of Special Prosecutions has released their final report on the review of the shooting,” he said.
Kissack was unhoused, and he and his dog, Juno, were familiar faces to those who live and work in the downtown area. Multiple videos of the midday shooting were captured by witnesses and have been shared on social media and by news outlets.
Since his death, there have been vigils, petitions and protests held by people sharing their sadness and anger about the handling of the situation.
At the Monday night meeting, testifiers presented a community letter with more than 300 signatures from individuals and businesses calling the shooting “unacceptable” and asking the city and police to ensure it doesn’t happen again.
Jessica Gray with the National Alliance on Mental Illness Juneau asked the Assembly to take action to increase support for mental health services for the local unhoused population.
“We know the path forward isn’t going to be easy, but there has to be a systemic change to ensure that this tragedy does not happen again,” she said.
Fatal police shootings are not common in Juneau, but Anchorage police have shot five people since mid-May. Three of them died.
Similar public outcry there prompted the Anchorage police department to enact a new body camera policy just two weeks ago. The new policy mandates the release of footage of police shootings within 45 days of the incident.
JPD’s current policies do not outline a timeline for when body camera footage is released to the public. But, Campbell said the department plans to review and potentially revise its policies on body cameras in the next few months.
The Office of Special Prosecutions has not provided an expected timeline for its investigation.
Correction: Anchorage police have shot five people since mid-May, but only three people have died.
