Man who shot officer killed himself, police report says

Kenneth Alonzo Santore Robinson, 24, shot himself once in the head with the same .40-caliber semiautomatic pistol that was used on officer Jean Mills, the police investigation found. He didn't have any other bullet wounds, said police, seeking to dispel rumors that he was shot by an officer.

His death was ruled a suicide by the Alaska State Medical Examiner's Office, police Lt. Dave Parker told reporters Monday.

Police said they recovered shell casings from where Robinson shot Mills during an East Anchorage traffic stop and recovered a bullet from inside her vest, as well as a casing and bullet from where he shot himself hours later on a street in Spenard just as police closed in. They all came from the same gun, Parker said.

The police investigation into what happened on June 9 is now closed, Parker said. The new information doesn't contradict the version of events released by police soon after the shooting but provides more detail.

Police were calling attention to their investigation and the autopsy information in part because of doubts about the official version raised by Robinson's family and circulated by others through comments on local news websites.

Robinson's grandfather, Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church pastor Alonzo Patterson, had questioned whether Robinson was the shooter and also was skeptical about police statements that the officers didn't fire their weapons.

"I think it's important that we set the record clear and that the municipality of Anchorage and its citizens have a good understanding of what transpired that night," Parker said. Police need the confidence of the community to do their job, he said. "There were many rumors floating around and many thoughts and ideas. Hopefully this release and the evidence that was gained will dispel those rumors and put us on the right track."

None of the SWAT officers who surrounded the Spenard apartment building where Robinson was holed up fired their weapons when he emerged, even though he pulled out a pistol, police determined.

Patterson said Monday the family is disappointed that the police held a press conference before meeting with them. "Typical," he said.

The family wasn't ready to say much and is still deciding what to do, he said. "The police has closed their investigation. That don't mean that we've closed ours," Patterson said.

He said he'd thought the family and police were supposed to meet today. "With that report, meeting with them is futile."

Parker said police provided the family a copy of the press release about the investigation findings in advance, offered them a copy of the full investigative report, and scheduled a meeting, which a family member canceled.

"We look forward to anything we can do to help the family and answer questions they may have," Parker said.

Police acknowledge the family's grief but don't want to diminish that "we darn near lost a heckuva good officer because there was total lawless activity," Parker said.

At the time of the shooting, Robinson was a month out of prison and already wanted again on a new domestic violence charge. He also was suspected in a coffee stand robbery.

On Monday, Mills, 45, also spoke, telling reporters that she wants to return to duty but probably won't be able to for several months. She's been a police officer for about a dozen years.

Mills was shot twice, once in the right shoulder, once in the hip. She said she goes to physical therapy a few times a week, works out at the gym to rebuild her strength and enjoys time with her boyfriend's grandkids.

She doesn't have full movement back in her right arm. Doctors found a dead nerve in her shoulder area and need to operate, she said.

"That's the only hang-up right now," Mills said. "Just got to get that arm back."

Find Lisa Demer online at adn.com/contact/ldemer or call 257-4390.