APD confirms its SWAT officer killed East Anchorage resident in standoff 

Anchorage Police Department’s office successful downtown Anchorage connected June 9, 2020. (Lex Treinen/Alaska Public Media)

The Anchorage Police Department confirmed connected Monday that 1 of its SWAT officers killed a female during a standoff astatine her East Anchorage location 2 weeks ago. It’s nan department’s 3rd sidesplitting and 4th shooting since May 13. 

In nan first aftermath of nan shooting, constabulary would not corroborate if they had killed 58-year-old Lisa Fordyce-Blair aliases if she had died successful immoderate different way. 

Police went to apprehension her connected June 19 for felony assault. According to different officer’s tribunal filing, Fodyce-Blair’s neighbour had called nan police. The neighbour and his boy were doing day gait activity erstwhile Fordyce-Blair came extracurricular and yelled astatine them while holding a agelong gun. 

When constabulary arrived, she was unsocial successful her location and refused to travel out. There was a standoff, which escalated pinch aggregate typical constabulary units connected scene, including nan SWAT squad utilizing gas. 

Police said they could perceive gunfire wrong nan house. Eventually, Sgt. Jonathan Butler fired into nan location and killed Fordyce-Blaire, constabulary said. She had nary erstwhile criminal history. 

The state’s Office of Special Prosecutions is reviewing Butler’s usage of force. Then, nan constabulary department’s soul affairs will reappraisal it for argumentation violations. 

A mini group of protesters astatine Mayor Suzanne LaFrance’s inauguration ceremony connected Monday called for constabulary oversight and nan merchandise of assemblage camera footage. 

The SWAT officers were not wearing nan cameras, though nan officers successful nan 3 earlier shootings were. LaFrance’s caller main of police, Sean Case, said past week that SWAT officers would deterioration nan cameras nether his watch. He besides said he wants to beryllium much transparent astir timelines for releasing assemblage camera footage.