Alaska News

Name of Trooper involved in Sterling Hwy shooting released

On July 19 the Alaska Bureau of Investigation (ABI) named Trent Chwialkowski as the Alaska Wildlife Trooper involved in the July 15 Anchor Point area shooting.

According to the ABI, on the evening of July 15, Chawialkowski responded to several REDDI (Report Every Dangerous Driver Immediately) reports and spotted their source, a yellow SUV traveling northbound on the Sterling Highway, just past Happy Valley.

Chawialkowski attempted to pull the vehicle over, but the driver of the SUV did not immediately cooperate. Chawialkowski followed the SUV until it stopped, at which point the driver began shooting. According to troopers' report, "The AWT Trooper returned fire." The driver then took off.

The female driver eventually stopped around in the middle of the highway near mile 147. She sat in the vehicle for 30 minutes before holding her hands out the window. When the woman was apprehended, she was taken to a Homer hospital after suffering a gunshot to the abdomen. Her name still has not been released, and an investigation into the shooting is ongoing. Meanwhile, Trooper Chawialkowski will be placed on administrative leave.

Troopers say that due to on-site investigation of the shooting, traffic at mile 147 of the Sterling Highway is closed to traffic in both directions until 1 a.m., early Friday morning. However, traffic is being let through on a "very limited" basis.

Craig Medred

Craig Medred is a former writer for the Anchorage Daily News, Alaska Dispatch and Alaska Dispatch News. He left the ADN in 2015.

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