Officer shoots and kills armed burglary suspect in South Anchorage
An Anchorage police officer fatally shot a burglary suspect following a brief struggle on Industry Way on Thursday afternoon. No officers were injured in the incident.
Armed suspect killed by officer after struggle at South Anchorage retail car park
An Anchorage police officer shot and killed an armed burglary suspect on Thursday afternoon following a brief physical altercation, adn.com reports. The shooting took place in the parking lot on the 12000 block of Industry Way, a retail strip hosting several businesses including a sporting goods retailer, a physical therapy office and a toy store.
Police Chief Sean Case said the incident began earlier that morning with a burglary at a business on Lore Road at around 10 a.m. Officers used technology and witness accounts to track the suspect to the Carrs grocery store on Huffman Road, locating him there at approximately 1:25 p.m. Surveillance cameras captured the man entering the store and exiting through a back door.
An officer made contact with the suspect on foot. Almost immediately, Case said, the man began fighting the officer and both went to the ground. The suspect fired one round just as a second officer arrived on the scene. That second officer returned fire, striking the man at around 1:40 p.m.
"How that conversation, altercation, communication between the two of them unfolded, I don't know," Case said. "I just know it was a very short (interaction)."
Medical aid was administered, but the suspect was pronounced dead at the scene. No officers sustained injuries. Police issued public alerts around 2:30 p.m. asking residents to avoid the area.
The shooting was captured on the officers' dashboard and body-worn cameras, though Case said he had not yet reviewed all available footage.
The identities of both the suspect and the officers involved have not yet been released. The Anchorage Police Department typically names officers involved in shootings within 72 hours of an incident.
The Alaska Department of Law's Office of Special Prosecutions will review the APD investigation to determine whether the shooting was justified and whether any officers should face criminal charges. A separate internal departmental review will follow to assess whether any department policies were violated.
Thursday's shooting was the ninth involving Anchorage police this year, five of which have been fatal.
Source: Google News MT — Crime (en)