A man suspected of shooting another man in Togiak was wounded Thursday when an Alaska state trooper who responded to the shooting fired at him, troopers said.
Col. Barry Wilson of the Alaska State Troopers said in a Facebook live video that a trooper based in the Southwest Alaska village, whose name has not yet been released per agency policy, heard the sound of gunshots coming from a nearby neighborhood around 4 p.m. and went to investigate.
When the trooper arrived, he found one man on the ground outside a home and another holding a gun, Wilson said. The man did not drop his gun when the trooper commanded him to, and the trooper fired “at least one” round at him.
The suspect was injured and flown to Dillingham for medical care. No charges had been filed against him Friday.
The man on the ground, 61-year-old Samuel Brito, was declared dead from gunshot wounds.
Troopers were still investigating the scene and will release the exact location of the shooting once that investigation is done, said Ken Marsh, a spokesman for the troopers.
The Alaska Bureau of Investigation is investigating the trooper’s use of force. The state Attorney General’s office will determine whether he was justified in shooting the man.
The trooper who fired the shot has been placed on administrative leave and his name will be released after three days.
Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly reported Samuel Brito’s age. He is 61, not 69.