Anchorage police chief describes standoff that left man dead and 2 officers wounded

How an armed, 69-year-old Army veteran came to die early Friday morning during a 42-hour police standoff on the Hillside will remain a mystery to the public until investigators dig deeper into the case, said Anchorage Police Chief Chris Tolley.

But in a news conference at police headquarters, Tolley said six officers returned fire when the man, Robert Musser, shot at them Thursday.

That volley of shots was among new details reported by Tolley at the news conference about the confrontation between Musser and authorities. The confrontation began Wednesday morning, when police began surrounding Musser's modified A-frame home on Ginami Street near the turnoff from Upper Huffman Road to Glen Alps and Flattop Mountain.

Musser was found dead in the home early Friday. In response to questions from reporters, Tolley wouldn't be drawn into saying whether Musser's body had bullet wounds.

"At 2:48 a.m. (Friday) his body was discovered at the scene and he was deceased," Tolley said. "It is unknown at this time whether Musser was injured during the shooting."

The body was found by APD officers and members of Alaska State Troopers' Special Emergency Reaction Team, Tolley said.

An autopsy was being performed on Musser, Tolley said, but there wasn't any immediate word on his cause of death.

Earlier, Tolley said, police used heavy equipment to smash portions of the A-frame.

"Heavy machinery was being used in an attempt to tear down part of Musser's home in an attempt to provide access," Tolley said.

Negotiators had been deployed to speak with Musser, Tolley said, but didn't get to speak with him at length throughout the standoff.

"The only communication was basically him telling us to get off the property," Tolley said. "We were unsuccessful in establishing a sound dialogue, unfortunately."

Officers first responded to the 12000 block of Ginami Street shortly after 9:30 a.m. Wednesday when a man opened fire on power-line tree trimmers operating on a utility easement. The crew retreated without injuries. Police tried to contact Musser, but he opened fire on them at about 4 p.m. that afternoon.

"As officers were getting ready to deploy gas, Musser came out of the home and fired multiple rounds at the officers then went back into the home," Tolley said. "No injuries were suffered by officers and no shots were fired by officers."

The first use of heavy equipment came about 11:30 a.m. Thursday when construction vehicles were used to tear down one wall of Musser's home. Reporters saw police at the scene Thursday fitting riot shields on the cabs of a front-end loader and an excavator, with SWAT officers then driving them toward the home.

Just before 12:15 p.m. Thursday, Musser again stepped outside and fired on police. This time, six APD officers returned fire, Tolley said.

[Related: Man in standoff was showing signs of mental decline.]

"An officer who had been struck in the face by bullet fragments from Musser's gunfire was transported (to a local hospital)," Tolley said. "Another officer had minor injuries to his hands." The hospitalized officer had been sent home, Tolley said.

Officers tried to deploy APD's own tactical equipment throughout the standoff, including less-lethal munitions and robots, as well as equipment borrowed from other agencies, Tolley said. The location of Musser's home atop a hill, however, as well as junk and other items inside and outside the home, increased the difficulty of the standoff.

"There were quite a number of obstacles that made this quite challenging for law enforcement," Tolley said.

The total cost of the police response was in the $100,000 range, Tolley said.

At roughly 10:30 p.m. Thursday, the construction equipment was again used to open part of Musser's home. Police didn't see any sign at that time that Musser was alive, Tolley said.

"At 2:48 a.m. (Friday) his body was discovered at the scene and he was deceased," Tolley said.

Tolley lamented the loss of life during the nearly two-day incident, noting officers routinely try to end standoffs with the suspect alive and in custody, as in a Monday case in Eagle River and a Thursday one in Midtown Anchorage.

"It is absolutely heartbreaking when these incidents result in death," Tolley said.

The officers who opened fire on Musser were placed on four days' administrative leave in accordance with APD policy, Tolley said. Both the state Office of Special Prosecutions and Appeals and APD's Office of Professional Responsibility will investigate the gunfire exchange as an officer-involved shooting, he said.

Tolley said several guns were found in the home but declined to discuss what weapons Musser fired during the standoff.