Anchorage police wanted special team trained to minimize force to confront shooting suspect who patrol officer wounded

Anchorage constabulary are asking nan nationalist for thief uncovering nan fishy successful a fatal shooting Thursday, Aug. 22, 2024, astatine a downtown encampment. (Anchorage Police Department)

Police investigating past Thursday’s shooting decease astatine a bum campy successful Anchorage learned nan fishy was improbable to spell peacefully if confronted by constabulary – and they were right.

At a property convention Wednesday, Anchorage Police Chief Sean Case shared that and different caller specifications astir the manhunt for nan bike-borne fishy and nan consequent gunfight that led to nan department’s seventh constabulary shooting since mid-May. 

The investigation and manhunt began past Thursday morning, aft 48-year-old Carl Washington was killed adjacent a bum campy disconnected 5th Avenue. 

Because of nan heightened risk, Case said nan section decided Friday day to propulsion its regular patrol units disconnected nan search, and alternatively to usage its investigative support unit, a subset of SWAT members.

“Their full intent is (to) effort to resoluteness situations that are considered high-risk pinch nan slightest magnitude of unit imaginable because of that specialized training, instrumentality and devices that they have,” he said. 

But not agelong aft that decision, a 911 caller relayed a connection from 2 bum group who said they were being chased by personification pinch a weapon adjacent Ship Creek. 

“We wanted (the) investigative support portion to respond because of their skills,” Case said. “But erstwhile we get a telephone for work that says, you know, we person thing that’s an progressive threat, contiguous for officers to respond to? You know, patrol section is going to grip that call.” 

Patrol officers met pinch nan 911 caller. Case said she pointed retired nan fishy nearby. He fled connected a bicycle, and nan officers followed. 

They caught up, and Case said nan fishy sewage disconnected his bike. Officers gave him commands, but he changeable erstwhile astatine nan officers. Officer Ryan Kelley returned occurrence pinch 5 shots. The fishy deed nan ground, sat up and fired doubly more. Kelley fired 5 much times.

The fishy was wounded pinch life-threatening injuries. None of nan officers were injured. 

Case said 2 of nan suspect’s shots deed an occupied civilian vehicle. 

Police person not yet publically named aliases charged nan wounded suspect. Case said that accusation will beryllium disclosed erstwhile nan section gets person to filing charges. Case declined to opportunity if and really nan suspect, unfortunate and bum campy were connected to each other. 

Four of nan department’s now 7 shootings this twelvemonth person been fatal.