A man was hospitalized with life-threatening injuries Friday after being shot by Anchorage police in the Post Road area near Ship Creek, police said. Police Chief Sean Case said the man, who was not identified, was suspected in a homicide at a homeless camp on Thursday and was shot Friday in an exchange of gunfire with police.
In a brief news conference Friday evening, Case said police were called just before 4:30 p.m. with information about a man on a bicycle with a gun, and police had reason to think the man was involved in Thursday’s shooting death at a camp just off East Fifth Avenue near Karluk Street.
Officers commanded the man on the bike to stop, Case said.
“The suspect did not do so and continued down the road on his bike,” Case said. Officers chased the man in their vehicles and caught up to him as he was standing next to his bike, Case said.
“One officer exited his vehicle, started giving commands to the suspect, observed a gun, started giving commands for the suspect to drop the gun, and also tried to create more distance,” Case said. “There was a significant amount of time that the officer provided commands to the suspect. The suspect then turned and fired at least one single round in the direction of another officer and a civilian vehicle. The officer that was providing commands then fired several rounds. Suspect went down to the ground. Suspect then ... sat up and fired at least two additional rounds at an officer and a civilian vehicle again, which caused the original officer that fired rounds to return fire again, and that stopped the suspect from shooting.”
The man was taken to the hospital with what police described as life-threatening injuries.
[Watch the news conference with Anchorage Police Chief Sean Case:]
Anchorage police have shot seven people since May. Case noted there have been 14 homicides in the city during the same period. There have been a total of 20 homicides in the city this year.
“Our officers are operating under extreme pressure and scrutiny, and yet they continue to place themselves in danger and carry out the mission of keeping this community safe,” Case said. “The suspect from tonight’s shooting was, in fact, the suspect in yesterday’s homicide. Loss of life is always tragic. I want to express my gratitude to all of our officers for their unwavering commitment to this community.”
Friday’s incident was captured on police body and dashboard cameras, Case said.
Darrell Evans, president of the Anchorage Police Department Employees Association, said in a statement Friday night that the past few months’ 14 homicides and seven police shootings “reveal the chaos our city is facing.”
“Earlier this evening, our officers stared down the most dangerous of circumstances. A homicide suspect opened fire on our officers and community members, forcing an officer to defend themselves, and our city,” Evans said.
“The selfless acts of our officers to protect the safety and wellbeing of our community reflects their unwavering commitment to our city,” Evans said.
Police had released few details about Thursday’s shooting but said a man in the camp had been shot to death, and they were searching for a suspect. They released a photo of a man they described as the suspect riding a bicycle.
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[An overview of Anchorage police shootings in 2024]