An Alaska State Trooper fatally shot a man early Monday after he reportedly tried to break into a motel room in Tok, according to an online trooper report.
Troopers say they got a call around 2:30 a.m. from a person staying at the Three Bears Motel who said a man was trying to break into their room.
Troopers spokesperson Austin McDaniel said a Tok-based trooper went to the motel and saw a man brandishing an assault-style rifle outside the building.
“Due to the adult male’s actions, the Alaska State Trooper shot the adult male with their handgun,” he said.
McDaniel said troopers identified the man as 21-year-old Northway resident Timothy Thomas.
“Thomas was declared deceased at the scene,” he said. “No troopers or other individuals were injured during the incident.”
McDaniel said Thomas’s body has been sent to the State Medical Examiner’s Office in Anchorage for an autopsy. He said the trooper who shot Thomas has been placed on 72 hours of administrative leave and that troopers will release the name of that officer on Thursday.
The Alaska Office of Special Prosecutions will conduct an independent review of the troopers’ investigation into the shooting, McDaniel said.
“This is all part of our standard response,” he said.
He declined to answer other questions, citing the ongoing investigation.
The Three Bears Motel is owned by Wasilla-based Three Bears Alaska, which operates a chain of grocery and convenience stores around the state. A front-desk worker at the motel referred all questions to company officials. A spokesperson declined to comment.
Tim Ellis is a reporter at KUAC in Fairbanks.
