Anchorage police have identified two officers who shot and wounded a gun-wielding suspect Sunday as a five-year veteran and a rookie with seven months on the police force.
Officer Robert Block, a police academy graduate in April, stopped an SUV near Denali Street and 11th Avenue just after 7 p.m. Sunday, police said. When Block checked the occupants' names, he learned that a passenger in the back seat -- Kyle Swann, 22 -- was wanted for failing to appear in court on drug charges. Following protocol for felony warrant suspects, Block called for backup in dealing with Swann, a police spokesman said.
Five-year-veteran Officer Angela Fraize arrived and both officers approached the vehicle, police said. Swann allegedly pulled out a .38-caliber revolver and pointed it at the officers before they fired six shots at him, police said. One shot hit Swann's elbow. He was arrested and taken to a hospital, where he remained Friday, according to court records. Swann was charged with four counts of felony assault.
The driver and another passenger in the SUV were not injured or charged with any crime, police said. The case will be forwarded to the state Department of Law to determine if the shooting was justified.
Anchorage Daily News / adn.com