A Wasilla man was shot and killed by a local police officer after he opened fire on the officer’s vehicle with an assault rifle, according to Alaska State Troopers.
The man – 34-year-old Brett George – died at the scene, according to a trooper report.
Troopers say the incident began just after 10 p.m. Sunday, when they received a call about a domestic disturbance involving a weapon in Wasilla’s Settlers Bay area.
George allegedly threatened two of his adult relatives with a weapon, troopers spokesman Austin McDaniel said. As troopers and Wasilla police responded, the relatives were able to escape the home and leave the area.
Troopers say George then “put on body armor, armed himself with an assault rifle, and left the residence in a vehicle.”
Wasilla police pulled George’s vehicle over, but troopers said he soon drove away. Officers pursued him.
“At the intersection of Knik Goose Bay Road and Settlers Bay Drive, George exited his vehicle and fired the assault rifle at the fully marked Wasilla police car,” troopers said. “The Wasilla police officer returned fire, striking George.”
Nobody else was injured in the encounter, according to troopers. George’s family has been notified, and his body has been sent to the state medical examiner’s office.
The Alaska Bureau of Investigation is examining the shooting. Afterward, the state Office of Special Prosecutions will review it as well.
