An overview of Anchorage police shootings in 2024

An Anchorage police officer late Tuesday shot and killed a 16-year-old girl who was holding a knife inside an apartment, marking the sixth time police have shot someone — and the fourth time they have killed someone — over the last three months.

The string of shootings has previously been described by Anchorage Police Chief Sean Case as an anomaly that exceeds the department’s annual average of three police shootings. The shootings came just months after officers were outfitted with body cameras.

Here are the people Anchorage police officers have shot in 2024:

Easter Leafa, 16

Police said they were called to the Greenbriar Apartments on the 4800 block of East 43rd Avenue around 11:30 p.m. Aug. 13 after 16-year-old Easter Leafa’s sister reported the teen was threatening her with a knife.

Officers who entered the apartment gave commands to Leafa and she walked toward them still holding the knife, Case said. One officer fired multiple shots and struck her in the upper and lower body, police said. Another officer fired a less lethal 40 mm projectile, Case said.

Leafa died at the hospital.

Her family on Wednesday raised questions about police’s use of force and their tactics during the response.

Damien Dollison, 51

Police said they were called to the Circle K gas station on the 1400 block of Bragaw Street early on July 8 after an employee reported two men were arguing outside the store and had pointed guns at each other. One of the men, later identified as 51-year-old Dollison, fired a shot at the other man, but did not strike him, according to a criminal complaint filed against him.

Police encountered Dollison in a nearby parking lot and he fired at them when confronted, the complaint said. Two officers fired back, striking him twice, it said. He was hospitalized with injuries and is facing assault charges.

One of the officers who shot at Dollison, Jacob Jones, also fired shots at 34-year-old Kristopher Handy in May, in the first fatal Anchorage police shooting of the year.

Lisa Fordyce-Blair, 58

A neighbor called police to report that 58-year-old Fordyce-Blair had threatened him on the afternoon of June 19 while holding a rifle, police said. She barricaded herself in her home when officers arrived, prompting a SWAT team response.

Fordyce-Blair fired multiple shots inside her home before a SWAT officer fired at and struck her, police said. She died at the scene early June 20.

At the time, SWAT officers were not equipped with body cameras. Case said that changed after this shooting, but the encounter was not captured by body or dash cameras.

Tyler May, 21

Police responded to the Anchorage Senior Activity Center the night of June 3 after a man was reported firing a shot into the air nearby, they said.

When officers confronted May and his friend outside the center, May ran from officers who had commanded him to drop his weapon and stop, according to an Office of Special Prosecutions review of the case. Officers released a police dog, which bit May and took him to the ground, the review said.

Three officers approached him as he was on the ground and fired as he “pulled the pistol out and pointed it in the direction of officers,” according to the state review.

May died at the scene.

The Office of Special Prosecutions found the officers’ use of force to be justified. Body camera footage of May’s shooting will be released in September, Case said.

Kaleb Bourdukofsky, 25

Anchorage police were patrolling the downtown area early on June 1 as bars were letting out and responded to gunshots on the 700 block of West Fourth Avenue, they said. When the officers arrived, they found that 25-year-old Diego Joe was fatally shot and another man had been wounded by gunfire, according to an Office of Special Prosecutions review.

Bourdukofsky was running from the area and ignored police commands to drop his weapon and stop, the review said. Two officers fired and wounded him. He was hospitalized for injuries.

The state review found the officers were justified in their use of force. Bourdukofsky is facing numerous charges, including murder. Case said body camera footage of the incident will not be immediately released because it could compromise the pending criminal case.

Kristopher Handy, 34

Anchorage police responded to Handy’s West Anchorage apartment early on May 13 because a neighbor reported a domestic disturbance. Nine officers responded to the area and ordered Handy out of his home, according to video footage released by the department.

Handy raised a gun while walking toward police but did not point it at them, the footage shows.

As he stepped off a small stairway, four officers fired at him while his gun was pointed at the ground. He died at the scene.

Surveillance footage released by one of Handy’s neighbors in the days after the shooting raised questions about police’s initial account of the encounter. The department initially said he “raised a long gun” at officers.

An Office of Special Prosecutions review concluded that Handy did not point a weapon at the officers during the encounter. Police on July 31 released a video showing portions of the 911 calls, body camera, dash camera and surveillance footage. The redacted raw footage will be released on Thursday, Case said.

[The first bodycam footage to be released by Anchorage police is out. The reaction is mixed.]

Handy’s family has pushed for the footage to be released since his death. They filed a lawsuit this week in federal court claiming wrongful death and excessive use of force.

The Office of Special Prosecutions determined the involved officers will not face criminal charges and were justified in their use of force.