New details have emerged about the man who shot at police at the Centennial Park Campground on Wednesday night in Anchorage.
Police were patrolling the campground at about 7:52 pm when they spotted a truck parked at a campsite that matched the description of a vehicle that eluded police on July 19, 2022.
Both officers exited their vehicles to investigate. They saw an adult male, later identified as 32-year-old Iese Gali Jr., walking near the truck. Officers attempted to talk to Gali, but Gali ignored them and walked toward a minivan parked nearby.
Officers ordered Gali to stop; Gali ignored the commands and got into the front passenger seat of the van. Officers begin to pull Gali from the vehicle. A struggle ensued during which time Gali produced a firearm and fired at the officers, injuring one.
Both officers returned fire and radioed for backup.
Citizens at the scene provided aid to our injured officer until backup arrived. Responding officers administered life-saving measures to Gali which medics took over upon their arrival. Gali was taken to Alaska Native Medical Center for treatment and is expected to live. It does not appear that Gali was a guest at the campground but had come into the campground to pay someone a visit.
A warrant has been served for Gali Jr. for the following charges: Attempted Murder in the First Degree, Assault in the First Degree, Assault in the Third Degree, and Misconduct Involving a Weapon in the Third Degree. Once Gali is discharged from the hospital, he will be remanded at the Anchorage Jail.
Gali has a violent past. In January of 2021, he and another man were involved in a shooting in a business parking lot on W 8th Ave downtown. Gali was not the actual shooter. But Gali and the shooter were in a verbal altercation that turned physical, with the two men punching a third man, who was then shot; the two they got into their vehicle and left the scene. They obtained a felony arrest warrant for Gali for the charges of Assault I, Assault IV, and Reckless Endangerment.
In 2015, police responded to a address where it was reported that Iese Gali Jr., then 26, had assaulted a woman.
“APD is extremely grateful for the witnesses who not only provided aid to our injured officer but stayed at the scene and provided excellent statements of what they had seen,” the police report says of Wednesday’s encounter with Gali Jr.
The injured officer was transported to a local hospital. The officer sustained serious injuries to his abdomen but is expected to survive.
Per department policy, the state’s Office of Special Prosecutions will review the officer’s use of force and determine whether or not it was justified. Once that has been completed, APD Internal Affairs will review the officer’s actions to confirm whether or not there was any violation of policy. APD practice is to put the officers on four days of administrative leave. Their names will be released publicly 72 hours after the inciden
