Anchorage Mayor Suzanne LaFrance has not yet issued an apology to the family of a man who reportedly lunged at a police officer while brandishing a knife, and ended up shot dead, as the officer pulled his weapon out and defended his own life.
Earlier in the summer, LaFrance immediately apologized to the family members of another knife-wielding person, but this time LaFrance has not yet issued a statement that police were wrong to shoot the perpetrator.
The incident went down starting at about 7:12 p.m. on Sept. 29, when Anchorage Police Department officers were dispatched to the 500-block of N. Park Street after a man called 9-1-1 and said there had been an emergency and that someone was hurt. The location of the encounter is in the Mountainview neighborhood, where violent crime is a regular occurrence. The University of Alaska says Mountainview is the most ethnically diverse neighborhood in America. Bystanders said the man was of Samoan heritage.
One officer arrived near the scene and was waiting for backup. Additional officers were en route along with the city’s Mobile Intervention Team when a man suspect holding a knife began to approach the officer.
The officer backed away and directed the suspect to drop his weapon, according to Police Chief Sean Case. However, the suspect continued to move toward the officer with the knife, eventually running at the officer. The officer discharged his weapon striking the suspect in the upper body at least once.
This was the fifth fatal shooting by an Anchorage police officer in 2024. The incident was captured on both a body-worn camera and patrol car dash cameras. No officers or any other civilians were injured in this incident, police said.
Anchorage Police performed life-saving measures on the suspect until Anchorage Fire Department medics took over and transported the suspect to a hospital, where he was declared dead.
A reporter at the press conference held at midnight asked the police chief if the incident would contribute to the lack of trust that the public has in the police. Police Chief Case said the police officer did everything he could to avoid shooting the suspect.
Watch the press conference here:
According to policy, the Alaska State Office of Special Prosecutions will review the officers’ use of force and determine whether it was justified. Once that has been completed, APD Internal Affairs will review the officers’ actions to confirm whether there was any violation of policy. It is APD practice to place the officer who discharged his weapon on administrative leave for four days; his or her name will be released 72 hours after the incident.
