State prosecutors will not be bringing charges against an Anchorage police officer who shot and killed a teenager in August.
In a brief statement Monday, officials with the state Office of Special Prosecutions wrote that officer Alexander Roman was legally justified in fatally shooting 16-year-old Easter Leafa. Roman was one of the officers who went to Leafa’s home on Aug. 13 after a family member called 911 and said Leafa was threatening others with a knife. Her family has said they never expected police to respond and shoot Leafa. Her death has drawn widespread community outrage.
Soon after Leafa’s killing, Anchorage Mayor Suzanne LaFrance announced a series of reforms to the police department, including 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. Plus, she said, a third party will conduct an internal review of the shooting instead of the police department doing the review itself.
Leafa is among eight people shot by Anchorage police this year — five of them died and three were wounded.
The Anchorage Police Department released the body camera footage of the shooting of Leafa soon after the state cleared the officer.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
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.
