Armed man shot by officer at busy Anchorage intersection after he ignored commands, police say

An armed man involved in an early morning domestic dispute was shot by an Anchorage officer Friday after he pointed a handgun, police said.

The man, whose name was not immediately released, had an elementary-school-age child with him at the time, Chief Michael Kerle said during a short briefing at Anchorage Police Department headquarters. The man was expected to survive his injuries.

The suspect and child are related, Kerle said.

The child appeared to be unhurt, police said. No officers were injured during the incident, which took place at the busy intersection of Lake Otis Parkway and Tudor Road.

Police said they responded at about 4:50 a.m. Friday to a report of shots fired inside a residence in the 100 block of Bunnell Street in Northeast Anchorage, according to an update.

Preliminary investigation indicated the suspect fired a shot during a domestic dispute, police said. No one was injured as a result of that shooting.

The man fled with the child in a gray Nissan Pathfinder, Kerle said.

During the investigation, officers developed a list of places the suspect might go, he said.

At about 6:30 a.m., following one of those leads, a patrol officer spotted the Pathfinder abandoned near Lake Otis and Tudor, police said. Officers then spotted the man, with the child, on the north side of Tudor walking west across Lake Otis.

He ignored officers when they told him to stop, Kerle said.

“Officers could see the suspect was armed with a handgun,” he said.

The man continued to ignore the officers’ commands and pointed his handgun at them, police said. One officer fired twice, hitting the man in the midsection, Kerle said.

The man was taken to a hospital with injuries described as not life-threatening.

Police said the suspect’s name will be released once charges are filed.

The incident closed Lake Otis Parkway in both directions north of Tudor Road on Friday morning. The road reopened fully by early afternoon.

By midmorning Friday, two patrol cars could be seen parked in front of the Bunnell Street location but there was no other sign of activity.

Under APD policy, the state’s Office of Special Prosecutions will review the officer’s use of force and determine whether it was justified, police said. Once the state review is completed, APD Internal Affairs will review the officer’s actions for any violation of policy.

The officer has been placed on four days of administrative leave. Their name will be released publicly 72 hours after the incident.