State rules use of force justified in fatal downtown Juneau shooting

2 weeks ago

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The 2 rule enforcement officers who changeable and killed a Juneau man who they opportunity lunged astatine them pinch a weapon during a standoff earlier this summertime will not look criminal charges.

The state’s Office of Special Prosecutions released a letter Tuesday clearing Juneau Police Department Sgt. Chris Gifford and Alaska Wildlife Trooper Sgt. Branden Forst successful nan July 15 shooting of 35-year-old Steven Kissack.

In an question and reply pinch JPD Chief Derek Bos, he said he was not amazed pinch nan state’s findings.

“Ultimately it was not nan result we each want, but Steve Kissack was nan 1 who dictated nan circumstances and he’s nan 1 who had nan last opportunity arsenic to really it turned out,” he said.

Three different JPD officers were besides coming astatine nan incident but did not occurrence their weapons. JPD also released nan officers’ camera footage from nan incident on Tuesday. All of nan officers returned to work successful Juneau pursuing a short administrative time off aft nan shooting.

Kissack was a personnel of Juneau’s unhoused organization and well-known by galore group downtown. He was often seen pinch his dog, Juno. According to societal media posts by Juneau Animal Rescue, Juno has since been adopted by a caller owner.

According to JPD, Kissack was first approached by a constabulary serviceman connected July 15 erstwhile he was sitting successful a doorway connected Front Street. Police opportunity nan serviceman questioned Kissack astir an alleged battle he was progressive successful that had happened nan time before. Officers deployed non-lethal rounds astatine Kissack earlier he was yet shot.

Kissack’s decease sparked nationalist outcry, vigils and protests by Juneau residents. His relationship pinch constabulary happened connected Front Street successful downtown Juneau successful nan mediate of nan day, and aggregate videos of nan incident were shared connected societal media astatine nan time.

Since then, residents person called connected the police section and Juneau Assembly for much accountability and to summation support for intelligence wellness services for unhoused people.

The merchandise of nan assemblage camera footage comes 57 days aft Kissack’s death. The Anchorage Police Department recently announced a caller argumentation that assemblage camera footage of constabulary shootings must beryllium released wrong 45 days. That determination came aft a drawstring of officer-involved shootings.

Right now, JPD’s policies do not person a timeline for erstwhile assemblage camera footage is released to nan public. But, Bos said JPD wants to update its policies successful nan adjacent fewer months.

“I would very overmuch for illustration to get assemblage camera footage released faster. This was a spot of a situation because location was aggregate agencies progressive and trying to navigate that,” he said.

Juneau City Attorney Emily Wright said nan Juneau Assembly would past request to o.k. nan alteration for it to spell into effect.

JPD had antecedently said Kissack’s family would reappraisal nan footage earlier it was released publicly. Three of his siblings visited Juneau past month from Florida, wherever he was primitively from. They said astatine nan clip that they wanted much accusation from constabulary astir nan circumstances that led to their brother’s death.

In a connection shared pinch KTOO by his sister, Dawn Kissack, nan family asked for space.

“Our family needs clip to process each this and we request clip to cod ourselves and our thoughts,” she wrote.

This communicative has been updated pinch further accusation from nan Juneau Police Department and Steven Kissack’s family and a copy of nan letter from nan Office of Special Prosecutions.

Source Alaska Public