Anchorage police say teenage girl walked toward officer with a knife before fatally shot

Anchorage Police Chief Sean Case speaks to reporters connected Aug. 19, 2024 astatine APD headquarters. (Wesley Early/Alaska Public Media)

Sixteen-year-old Easter Leafa was holding a weapon pinch a astir 7-inch leaf erstwhile an serviceman changeable and killed her past week, according to nan Anchorage constabulary chief.

Leafa’s killing connected Aug. 13 has prompted wide organization outrage and calls for much constabulary accountability. 

Police Chief Sean Case said Monday nan section is still reviewing nan grounds successful nan shooting. During a news conference, he released a fewer further specifications astir what officers opportunity happened. 

According to Case, constabulary initially received a 911 telephone from Leafa’s older sister. She said Leafa had threatened her pinch a knife. 

“The statement was complete nan older sister not doing what nan younger sister wanted to do,” Case said.

Officers were besides told that Leafa had near nan flat pinch nan knife, though Case said by nan clip officers arrived, she had returned to nan location and was connected a backmost porch. Case said location were astir 9 group successful nan apartment, and officers worked to move family members to a bedroom. He said officers past moved to nan structure wherever they recovered Leafa sitting nether a blanket. He said nan officers ordered her to region nan broad and show her quiet hands. 

Case said she dropped nan broad and stood up, turning to look officers. 

“The champion explanation I tin springiness is that Easter had nan weapon successful her correct hand,” Case said. “She had it a small higher than limb tallness arsenic she walked towards nan officers successful a confined space.”

As she moved toward nan police, an officer, later identified arsenic Alexander Roman, fired 3 bullets astatine her, Case said, while different serviceman fired a “less lethal” 40 millimeter projectile. Police and medics provided aesculapian assistance and brought Leafa to a hospital, wherever she was pronounced dead. Roman was placed connected administrative time off for 4 days, and Case declined to opportunity Monday whether Roman was backmost connected progressive duty.

Case besides declined to remark further connected what happened betwixt nan clip constabulary saw Leafa and nan gunshots, saying he’s waiting for nan merchandise of video footage of nan incident.

In nan days since Leafa’s death, organization members person expressed remorse and anger. Leafa and her family had precocious moved to nan metropolis from American Samoa, and she was group to commencement her inferior twelvemonth of precocious schoolhouse past Friday. She is nan 4th personification killed by Anchorage officers during a constabulary consequence since nan mediate of May.

Lucy Hansen, president of nan Polynesian Association of Alaska, speaks astatine nan vigil for Easter Leafa. (Anisa Vietze/Alaska Public Media)

Anchorage Mayor Suzanne LaFrance announced past Thursday that nan metropolis would beryllium ushering successful a bid of reforms aimed astatine curbing constabulary shootings and expanding nationalist trust. Among nan changes were nan institution of a national constabulary reappraisal board, a reappraisal of nan training officers acquisition during nan constabulary academy and a reappraisal of nan past 15 years of constabulary shootings. 

While nan initiatives were announced little than 48 hours aft Leafa’s death, Case said they’ve been successful nan useful since he took complete nan section successful July. 

“These are not a nonstop consequence of this peculiar officer-involved shooting, aliases immoderate of them,” Case said. “These are areas that we should ever beryllium reviewing, making judge that our policies, procedures, our training are up to standard, commonplace practices astir nan country, and make judge that we person nan latest technology.”

LaFrance besides announced that a third-party would analyse nan shooting of Leafa aft a reappraisal from nan authorities Office of Special Prosecutions, thing Case said hasn’t happened before. 

“We will outline and specify that, benignant of, arsenic we move forward,” Case said. “But astatine this constituent successful time, it’s going to beryllium different from what we’ve seen successful nan past. We’ve ne'er had an extracurricular personification aliases entity aliases group look astatine our administrative process aft an officer-involved shooting.”

The caput of nan city’s constabulary national said he’s “dismayed” by nan consequence from LaFrance and Case. 

“The investigation has only conscionable begun, and nan politician is apologizing for nan actions of an serviceman that has yet to picture and explicate those actions,” Anchorage Police Department Employees Association president Darrell Evans said successful a missive sent Friday. 

“Each of these incidents are burdens connected america all,” Evans added. “And our corporate reflection upon each of those incidents must grant nan weight they transportation for america each arsenic individuals, constabulary officers, and arsenic a community.”

Case declined to remark connected Evans’ letter.

He said nan section still has to reappraisal different grounds of nan Leafa shooting, including assemblage camera footage and audio captured from nan incident. 

At nan property conference, Case reiterated his emotion for nan Anchorage constabulary department. 

“I emotion nan group that service each day,” Case said. “They person difficult jobs to do, and I spot highly precocious expectations connected them, because I cognize what they’re tin of.”

He besides added that he understands nan concerns he’s heard from Anchorage residents since Leafa’s shooting. 

“I cannot return distant nan symptom that an officer-involved shooting causes this department, our community, and particularly Easter’s family,” Case said. “I tin guarantee we will perpetually show what we do to make judge that we supply nan champion services for this community, to support our officers safe arsenic good arsenic nan community.”

Editor’s note: This communicative has been updated pinch corrected accusation from Anchorage Police Chief Sean Case. He primitively described nan weapon Easter Leafa held arsenic akin to a steak knife, but later clarified that it’s much meticulous to picture it arsenic a weapon pinch a astir 7-inch blade. He besides clarified that officers did not bid that Leafa guidelines up, conscionable that she show her quiet hands.