An Anchorage police officer shot and killed a woman pointing a gun at officers during a standoff at a housing facility downtown Tuesday afternoon, the city’s police chief said.
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Speaking at a press conference later Tuesday, Police Chief Sean Case said the shooting followed more than an hour of attempted negotiations at the Adelaide, a multi-unit facility that serves formerly homeless people at 9th Avenue and Cordova Street.
“This particular case is one of those incidents where we had a lot of time, we had a lot of resources that we brought out,” Case said. “We did all the right things, and at the end of the day, we still sometimes get in a position where we’re reacting to somebody that’s in front of us, no matter how well we prepare to go into the incident that we’re facing.”
It started with a call for help a little after 1:30 p.m. Tuesday from a staff member at the Adelaide, who said the woman had pointed a gun at them, was intoxicated and threatened suicide, Case said. Police responders to the call included the department’s Mobile Intervention Team, SWAT officers and crisis negotiators, he said.
By about 2 p.m., police had a drone flying in a hallway inside the building, hovering outside the front door of the unit the woman was in, Case said.
“We also had officers outside that were able to see inside of the window and were able to observe that the subject had the gun and was pointing it at the front door of the apartment many times,” he said.
Case said police outside, on the ground floor, could also see the woman in the third-floor apartment pointing a gun at officers below and a nearby elementary school, a day before students were set to return for the school year.
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“One single officer fired a single round, striking the subject in the upper body,” Case said. “Officers made entrance into the apartment where the female was pronounced deceased on scene.”
The police chief said his description of the shooting, which was captured on both body cameras and police vehicle dashboard cameras, was based on preliminary information and that the officer who fired the fatal shot had not yet been interviewed. There would be a follow-up press conference with more information, he said.
Police have not publicly released the officer’s name, nor that of the woman shot. Her death marks the city’s fourth fatal police shooting of 2026.
“We had the right personnel. We had the right equipment. We had containment,” Case said. “We had communication, evacuation, and like so many times, we’ve had calls like this in the past that have ended in a safe resolution and taking the individual into custody. Sometimes you just can’t control everything.”
If you or someone you know is struggling with thoughts of suicide, you can dial or text 988 and be connected to help.
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