Sixteen-year-old Easter Leafa was holding a knife with a roughly 7-inch blade when an officer shot and killed her last week, according to the Anchorage police chief.
Leafa’s killing on Aug. 13 has prompted widespread community outrage and demands for answers.
During a news conference Monday, Police Chief Sean Case provided some additional information about what officers say happened, but he said much still remains under review.
According to Case, police initially received a 911 call from Leafa’s older sister. She said Leafa had threatened her with a knife.
“The argument was over the older sister not doing what the younger sister wanted to do,” Case said.
Officers were also told that Leafa had left the apartment with the knife, though Case said by the time officers arrived, she had returned to the home and was on a back porch. Case said there were about nine people in the apartment, and officers worked to move family members to a bedroom. He said officers then moved to the porch where they found Leafa sitting under a blanket. He said the officers ordered her to remove the blanket and show her empty hands.
Case said she dropped the blanket and stood up, turning to face officers.
“The best description I can give is that Easter had the knife in her right hand,” Case said. “She had it a little higher than leg height as she walked toward the officers in a confined space.”
As she moved toward the police, an officer, later identified as Alexander Roman, fired three bullets at her, Case said, while another officer fired a “less lethal” 40 millimeter projectile. Police and medics provided medical aid and brought Leafa to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Roman was placed on administrative leave for four days. Case declined to say Monday whether he was back on duty.
Case also declined to comment further on what happened between the time police saw Leafa and the gunshots, saying he’s waiting for the release of video footage of the incident.
In the days since Leafa’s death, community members have expressed remorse and anger. Leafa and her family had recently moved to the city from American Samoa, and she was set to start her junior year of high school last Friday. She is the fourth person killed by Anchorage officers during a police response since the middle of May.
Anchorage Mayor Suzanne LaFrance announced last Thursday that the city would be ushering in a series of reforms aimed at curbing police shootings and increasing public trust. Among the changes are the creation of a citizen police review board, a review of the training officers undergo during the police academy and a review of the last 15 years of police shootings.
While the initiatives were announced less than 48 hours after Leafa’s death, Case said they’ve been in the works since he took over the department in July.
“These are not a direct result of this particular officer-involved shooting, or any of them,” Case said at Monday’s news conference. “These are areas that we should always be reviewing, making sure that our policies, procedures, our training are up to standard, commonplace practices around the country, and make sure that we have the latest technology.”
LaFrance also announced that a third-party would investigate the shooting of Leafa after a review from the state Office of Special Prosecutions, something Case said hasn’t happened before.
“We will outline and define that, kind of, as we move forward,” Case said. “But at this point in time, it’s going to be different from what we’ve seen in the past. We’ve never had an outside person or entity or group look at our administrative process after an officer-involved shooting.”
Meanwhile, the head of the city’s police union said he’s “dismayed” by the response from LaFrance and Case.
“The investigation has only just begun, and the mayor is apologizing for the actions of an officer that has yet to describe and explain those actions,” Anchorage Police Department Employees Association president Darrell Evans said in a letter sent Friday.
“Each of these incidents are burdens on us all,” Evans added. “And our collective reflection upon each of those incidents must honor the weight they carry for us all as individuals, police officers, and as a community.”
In response to Evans’ letter, LaFrance said in a statement that she appreciated the hard work that Anchorage police do.
“My job is to make sure that APD has the resources and training it needs, and that Anchorage is a place where everyone can feel safe,” LaFrance said. “My remarks reflected remorse for a loss of a young member of our community.”
Case declined to comment on Evans’ letter.
Case said the department still has to review other evidence from the shooting, including body camera footage and audio captured from the incident.
At the news conference, Case reiterated his love for the Anchorage Police Department.
“I love the people that serve every day,” Case said. “They have hard jobs to do, and I place extremely high expectations on them, because I know what they’re capable of.”
He also added that he understands the concerns he’s heard from Anchorage residents since Leafa’s shooting.
“I cannot take away the pain that an officer-involved shooting causes this department, our community, and especially Easter’s family,” Case said. “I can ensure we will constantly monitor what we do to make sure that we provide the best services for this community, to keep our officers safe as well as the community.”
Editor’s note: This story has been updated with corrected information from Anchorage Police Chief Sean Case. He originally described the knife Easter Leafa held as similar to a steak knife, but later clarified that it’s more accurate to describe it as a knife with a roughly 7-inch blade. He also clarified that officers did not command that Leafa stand up, just that she show her empty hands.
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.
