Crime & Courts

Military officer at Navy facility in Kodiak shoots and kills knife-wielding trespasser, troopers say

A trespasser who “brandished” a knife was shot to death late Saturday by a Navy guard at a facility in Kodiak, according to the Alaska State Troopers.

Jayson Vinberg, 30, of Kodiak was declared dead at the scene. Vinberg had trespassed onto the Naval Special Warfare Detachment Kodiak compound and tried to enter one of the buildings around 10:30 p.m., said Naval Criminal Investigative Service spokesman Jeff Houston.

Troopers said Vinberg was first seen by a watch guard “trespassing and tapping on the windows of a watch building with a knife.” Vinberg was told by the Naval Special Warfare service member working as the guard to leave the premises. The serviceman went outside to confirm that Vinberg was leaving, but he approached the officer while holding the knife.

“The male failed to obey the duty officer’s repeated commands to stop walking towards him. The duty officer produced a handgun and shot the male,” troopers said in an online alert.

The officer is in good condition and there is no threat to the community, Houston said.

The NCIS will lead the investigation because the shooting occurred on a Navy base, Houston said. The troopers and Coast Guard Investigative Service will assist.

The officer’s name was not immediately released.

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[Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated that troopers said the officer’s name won’t be released during the investigation. What troopers wrote was this: “The duty officer’s name won’t be released until after consultation with the Alaska US Attorney’s Office and Naval Criminal Investigative Service is complete.”]

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