Anchorage police shot and seriously wounded a man Tuesday afternoon after officials say he tried to rob an ATM at a Midtown business.
At a brief news conference, Police Chief Sean Case said officers were alerted around 2 p.m. to a robbery in progress on the 500 block of West Northern Lights Boulevard involving a female victim at a business he did not name.
“The victim fled a business into another nearby business," Case said. "She had tape around her wrists and her mouth.”
Someone at the nearby business called 911.
Responding officers identified a suspect when they arrived on scene, Case said. The suspect was armed with a handgun, and didn't respond to commands to drop his weapon. He then fled on foot.
“The officer eventually fired between five and eight rounds, striking the suspect two times in the upper body," Case said.
Case said the suspect was hospitalized with life-threatening injuries. He said the female victim was not injured.
He said it was "unknown at this point" what the officer saw just before making the decision to fire his weapon. The officer had not yet been interviewed. Case said the incident was captured on a police body camera, but it was partially obscured. He underscored that the investigation is ongoing and the information he had was preliminary.
The names of the suspect and officer who shot him will be released in the coming days.
Case said he appreciated officers' continued dedication to their community.
"I also want to thank the officers that are involved for their rapid response to a high-risk call," he said. "They knew going into this call that it was a significant crime with a victim that had been bound and there was a weapon involved."
The man shot Tuesday is the first person shot by Anchorage police this year. Last year, officers shot eight people. Five of the people died. Police Chief Sean Case has said it was the highest number of shootings by police in his more than 20-year tenure with the department, and he and the mayoral administration pledged to enact reforms.
