Anchorage Police reported an officer-involved shooting at the 500 block of W. Northern Lights Blvd shortly before 2 p.m. Tuesday. A male suspect was taken to a hospital with life-threatening injuries after an officer who responded to an armed-robbery-in-progress call fired 5 to 8 rounds at the man, who refused to follow police commands and attempted to flee. The suspect was stopped by two of the bullets that stuck his upper body.
The incident happened at a business where the suspect is believed to have bound a woman with tape on her wrists and across her mouth. The suspect, who had a handgun, was breaking into the ATM at the business.
“Enormous police response. Felt like the entire on duty shift. They closed Northern Lights,” said a Must Read Alaska source who was on the scene.
The name of the suspect and the officer involved in the shooting will be released in coming days, said Chief Sean Case at an afternoon press conference, which can be viewed here.
Case also said that the incident was captured by the officer’s body camera, but portions of it were obscured.
One week into 2025, this was the first officer-involved shooting in Anchorage for the year. Last year there were eight, with five resulting in the deaths of the suspects.
As of publication time, Mayor Suzanne LaFrance has not apologized to the suspect for the behavior of the officer. Last summer, she apologized to the family of a young woman who was threatening people with a knife and ended up dead from an officer’s bullet. LaFrance called for an independent investigation of the officer and the department itself. LaFrance later apologized for apologizing.
