Anchor Point man charged with attempted murder in shooting that wounded a trooper

An Anchor Point man accused of shooting and wounding an Alaska state trooper Monday afternoon was arrested Tuesday morning near his home and is facing a charge of attempted murder.

Bret Herrick, 60, was at a business in downtown Anchor Point around 1 p.m. Monday when a trooper tried to arrest him on outstanding warrants, a statement from troopers said. Herrick fired at the trooper with a handgun and struck him multiple times, according to the statement.

The trooper also fired his service pistol during the incident, the statement said. Herrick was not shot and there were no other injuries reported, said Austin McDaniel, a spokesman for the troopers. It was not immediately clear how many shots were fired during the encounter, McDaniel said.

Herrick fled on foot as another trooper arrived at the scene, troopers wrote.

The injured trooper was airlifted to an Anchorage hospital and remained in fair condition Tuesday morning, troopers said.

A search for Herrick stretched through Monday as troopers warned the public he was “considered armed and dangerous.”

“Law enforcement from across the region, Department of Public Safety aircraft assets, and Alaska State Troopers Special Emergency Reaction Team members from across the state descended on Anchor Point to search for Herrick,” the statement said.

The Chapman School in Anchor Point was closed Tuesday and bus routes from Anchor Point to Homer were canceled because of the ongoing search, the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District said in a Facebook post. Residents near the area were asked to shelter in place during the search, according to the borough’s Office of Emergency Management.

Around 8:40 a.m. Tuesday, Herrick was arrested without incident in the woods just outside his home in Anchor Point, McDaniel said. Troopers had searched his residence on Monday, also, McDaniel said. He was located as troopers followed up on a tip, the statement said.

Herrick had four outstanding warrants on misdemeanor charges from Homer including resisting arrest, violating conditions of release, reckless endangerment and disorderly conduct, according to court records. Herrick was charged with attempted murder and first-degree assault related to Monday’s shooting, troopers said.

The trooper who was injured and fired his weapon will be identified three days after the shooting in accordance with department policy. The Alaska Bureau of Investigation is reviewing the incident and their investigation will be sent to the Alaska Department of Law’s Office of Special Prosecutions, troopers wrote.