Anchorage Police on Friday identified the two officers who shot and killed Carl Richard Bowie III on Tuesday, saying their investigation showed the officers fired seven shots at Bowie -- with three finding their mark.
Bowie died at the scene after he rammed at least one police vehicle with an allegedly stolen pick-up truck towards the officers.
Both shooters are veteran policemen. Senior Patrol Officer Roger Billiet has been with Anchorage Police for 13 years. Senior Patrol Officer Alan Rydberg has been on the job 10 years.
The Office of Special Prosecutions and Appeals will issue a report when its investigation is finished. Bowie is the first person killed by Anchorage police this year.
According to police Spokeswoman Anita Shell, police received a call at about 10:18 a.m. Tuesday of a suspicious person looking into the windows of parked cars at the Dimond Center Mall in South Anchorage. When the man drove off in a green Ford F-150, a check of the license plate revealed the vehicle had been reported stolen that morning from a southwest Anchorage neighborhood.
Officers spotted the vehicle in the area of 88th Avenue and Lake Otis Boulevard. Officers attempted to stop the vehicle there, but the Bowie refused and continued into a residential neighborhood. In an attempt to flee, he rammed at least one police car. Two officers shot at Bowie, though it was unclear how many rounds they fired.
State Department of Corrections spokeswoman Kaci Schroeder said Bowie had been on parole but was not in DOC custody. Schroeder said Bowie had "walked away from supervision," though she would not elaborate, citing prisoner confidentiality.
According to public records, Bowie had numerous law encounters since 2006, including charges of shoplifting and leaving the scene of an accident. Bowie pled guilty to charges of felony theft of a vehicle in 2010.
Contact Suzanna Caldwell at suzanna(at)alaskadispatch.com