Anchorage police shot and critically wounded a man in an exchange of gunfire Friday near Ship Creek.
The man is the suspect in a homicide on Thursday that left one person dead, said Police Chief Sean Case.
"The suspect from tonight’s shooting was in fact the suspect in yesterday’s homicide," Case said during a brief news conference Friday night.
Officers on Thursday had asked the public for help finding the man, who they have not named. They described him as the suspect in the shooting death of 48-year-old Carl Washington near a homeless camp off 5th Avenue. They said the suspect was armed and on a bicycle.
On Friday, shortly before 4:30 p.m., three people reported to police that a man was threatening them with a gun and they had retreated into a nearby building on the 200 block of North Post Road.
As police responded to the call, they received information linking the man to Thursday’s fatal shooting, Case said. When police arrived, people at the scene identified a male cyclist riding away as the suspect. Case said the man did not respond to commands, and officers got into their vehicles to chase him.
When they caught up, Case said, one of the officers got out of a police vehicle and ordered the man to stop, issuing commands for a “significant amount of time.”
“The suspect then turned and fired at least one single round in the direction of the officer and a civilian vehicle,” Case said. “The officer that was providing commands then fired several rounds; the suspect then went down to the ground. The suspect then sat up and fired at least two additional rounds at the officer and the civilian vehicle again, which caused the original officer that fired rounds to return fire again.”
Case said no officers were injured in the shooting. The man was taken to a local hospital with what police believe are life-threatening injuries.
The shooting was recorded on officers’ body-worn cameras, according to Case. Footage of the shooting will be released in 45 days, under current APD policy.
Case commended the officers for their vigilance under difficult circumstances.
This is the seventh person shot by Anchorage officers during police responses since mid-May. Four of those shootings have been fatal.
Case also highlighted that, during the same time, there have been 14 homicides.
"Our officers are operating under extreme pressure and scrutiny, and yet they continue to place themselves in danger and carry out the mission of keeping this community safe," he said. "I want to express my gratitude to all of our officers for their unwavering commitment to this community."
