Anchorage police identified the officer whose weapon discharged and injured another officer Friday night as Ryan Nigh, a three-year veteran of the department.
According to a statement from the Anchorage Police Department, Nigh and two other officers responded to a report of shots fired on Lana Court in the U-Med area Friday night. Officers arrived and approached a suspect, 29-year-old Justin Constantine. During a struggle with Constantine, Nigh’s service pistol discharged and a bullet struck a fellow officer in the lower body, said the statement.
The officer was transported to the hospital and taken into surgery on Saturday morning. The department has not identified the officer shot.
“The injured officer is recovering well and has been moved out of ICU,” APD Chief Ken McCoy said in a statement Tuesday.
As of Tuesday, police had not provided further explanation about why the firearm discharged.
The state Office of Special Prosecutions is reviewing the incident. McCoy said the results of the investigation will be made available to the public.
Constantine was also taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries. He was charged with several weapons charges.
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.
