Anchorage police say officers shot and killed an armed man in East Anchorage early Tuesday.
Read more Local knowledge draws the map for River Watch on the Kuskokwim
Police received a report just after 12 a.m. Tuesday that a man had fired several shots near Bragaw Street and Reka Drive, police chief Sean Case said in a press conference later that morning. Officers arrived about 90 seconds later and saw a man sitting down and holding a firearm, Case said.
“He was on the side of the road when officers arrived, and then when officers started giving commands, that’s when he got up and entered into the roadway,” Case said.
The man did not comply with the officers’ orders and started walking toward them, Case said. Three officers fired at the man, who did not shoot at the officers, Case said.
Officers tried to perform life-saving medical care, Case said, but the man was pronounced dead later at a local hospital. The police department’s Mobile Intervention Team, which works to address mental health crises, did not respond to the call, Case said.
Much of the information Case shared at the press conference was preliminary, he said. The police chief said he couldn’t share details about whether the man pointed his gun at officers or what indications the officers had as to the man’s state of mind at the time of the shooting.
Police have not released the man’s name.
This is the fourth police shooting in Anchorage so far in 2026
Police shot Micah Bonin, 43, in late March after he allegedly fired on officers from a burning home. Bonin died, but it was unclear if he died from an officer’s gunshot or due to the fire.
Read more What we know about how the U.S. government uses spyware (and what we don’t)
In April, police shot Kamehameha Patterson, 24, after he allegedly fired at officers responding to a domestic dispute in which Patterson was involved.
Eight days later, police shot Marcus Mewford after he allegedly fired on officers after running from a stolen vehicle.
Case said Tuesday that each of those police shootings involved a person who was armed, which he called a “larger, incredibly frustrating reality.”
“I think it’s time that we start having broader conversations about gun violence in Anchorage, instead of just focusing on some very specific and narrow events,” he said.
Police would share more details on the Tuesday shooting at a future press conference, Case said.
Read more Pipeline-for-pension deal falls apart as the Alaska Legislature’s regular session nears end