Anchorage police shot a suspect Wednesday night in the fourth officer-involved shooting of the year. The male suspect was shot after firing a handgun at a neighbor of his in a Midtown Anchorage condo complex.
The Department isn’t identifying the suspect until his family is notified.
APD deputy chief Kenneth McCoy said that at about 10 p.m. Wednesday night, the suspect broke the front window of the victim’s condo.
“Our investigation has shown the suspect broke that window with his firearm, by force,” McCoy said.
The man fled and the victim, an unidentified adult woman, called a maintenance worker contracted with the condo to address the broken window. At around 11:20, the suspect emerged from his garage and fired on the victim and the maintenance worker. The victim fled into her home and called police. She and the worker were unharmed. McCoy said officers showed up within minutes, set up a perimeter and began to search for the suspect.
“The suspect emerged from his garage and fired his weapon,” McCoy said. “An officer returned fire, striking the suspect in the torso.”
The man was pronounced dead on the scene. Only one officer fired on him. No officers or other civilians were harmed.
Authorities say they are still investigating the motive. In keeping with APD policy, the officer who shot the suspect is currently on paid leave and will be identified three days after the incident.
This is the fourth officer involved shooting in Anchorage this year, and the second fatal one. The first fatal shooting occurred last month at an East Anchorage Fred Meyer.
Wesley Early covers Anchorage life and city politics for Alaska Public Media. Reach him at wearly@alaskapublic.org and follow him on X at @wesley_early. Read more about Wesley here.
