Police investigating last Thursday’s shooting death at a homeless camp in Anchorage learned the suspect was unlikely to go peacefully if confronted by police – and they were right.
At a press conference Wednesday, Anchorage Police Chief Sean Case shared that and other new details about the manhunt for the bike-borne suspect and the subsequent gunfight that led to the department’s seventh police shooting since mid-May.
The investigation and manhunt began last Thursday morning, after 48-year-old Carl Washington was killed near a homeless camp off 5th Avenue.
Because of the heightened risk, Case said the department decided Friday afternoon to pull its regular patrol units off the search, and instead to use its investigative support unit, a subset of SWAT members.
“Their whole purpose is (to) try to resolve situations that are considered high-risk with the least amount of force possible because of that specialized training, equipment and tools that they have,” he said.
But not long after that decision, a 911 caller relayed a message from two homeless people who said they were being chased by someone with a gun near Ship Creek.
“We wanted (the) investigative support unit to respond because of their skills,” Case said. “But once we get a call for service that says, you know, we have something that’s an active threat, immediate for officers to respond to? You know, patrol division is going to handle that call.”
Patrol officers met with the 911 caller. Case said she pointed out the suspect nearby. He fled on a bicycle, and the officers followed.
They caught up, and Case said the suspect got off his bike. Officers gave him commands, but he shot once at the officers. Officer Ryan Kelley returned fire with five shots. The suspect hit the ground, sat up and fired twice more. Kelley fired five more times.
The suspect was wounded with life-threatening injuries. None of the officers were injured.
Case said two of the suspect’s shots hit an occupied civilian vehicle.
Police have not yet publicly named or charged the wounded suspect. Case said that information will be disclosed when the department gets closer to filing charges. Case declined to say if and how the suspect, victim and homeless camp were connected to each other.
Four of the department’s now seven shootings this year have been fatal.
