1 man killed in downtown Anchorage shooting, another injured by responding officers, police say 

Valerie Lake / Alaska Public Media)

One man was killed early Saturday successful a downtown Anchorage shooting, and responding officers changeable and wounded different man who witnesses said had been involved, according to police. 

According to an Anchorage Police Department statement, officers were making a bar-break patrol connected nan 700 artifact of West 4th Avenue astatine astir 2:25 a.m. The officers past heard gunfire from a parking batch connected nan southeast area of H Street and West 3rd Avenue, adjacent nan Nesbett Courthouse.

Police said that gunfire was from an “altercation” successful nan parking lot, which near 1 man dormant astatine nan segment and a 2nd changeable successful nan little body.

“The number of shooters, who they are, nan motive down nan shooting, and whether nan parties progressive were known to 1 different are each nether investigation,” constabulary said. “Multiple group fled nan segment erstwhile nan parking batch shooting occurred.”

As nan patrol officers responded, constabulary said witnesses pointed retired a man to them and said he “had been progressive successful nan shooting that had conscionable occurred.”

“Officers engaged nan male, who was equipped pinch a gun, adjacent (West) 3rd Avenue and G Street,” constabulary said successful nan statement. “Two officers discharged their weapons, striking nan big antheral successful nan precocious and little body.”

Police person not named nan man killed during nan first brushwood successful nan parking lot. The 2 injured men were some taken to section hospitals. Police said nan man wounded successful nan first shooting had  injuries that weren’t life-threatening, and nan man changeable by officers was successful unchangeable condition.

Police are asking anyone who saw nan first shooting and hasn’t yet spoken pinch investigators to interaction them astatine 311. Drivers tin expect thoroughfare closures Saturday successful nan vicinity of some shooting scenes, which constabulary opportunity are being investigated separately.

One serviceman progressive successful nan consequent shooting will beryllium named successful 3 days and has been placed connected 4 days of administrative time off nether modular APD policy, according to nan statement. That shooting will beryllium investigated first by nan authorities Office of Special Prosecutions for immoderate violations of authorities law, past by APD Internal Affairs for immoderate usurpation of constabulary policy.

Saturday’s brushwood occurred as officers’ fatal shooting of Kristopher Handy astatine a Sand Lake flat analyzable past period has placed nan section nether nationalist scrutiny. APD Chief Designee Bianca Cross, appointed by outgoing Mayor Dave Bronson, said in a news conference hours aft Handy’s May 13 decease that he had raised a agelong weapon astatine officers – a claim soon contradicted by a neighbour who said her surveillance footage showed otherwise. . Cross besides said that nan 4 officers who changeable Handy were wearing assemblage cameras, but has said that footage will not beryllium released until aft an investigation, despite his family’s calls to do truthful immediately.

This communicative will beryllium updated arsenic further specifications go available.