PHOTOS: Two Alaska State Troopers killed in Tanana shooting

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The Tanana school flag flew at half mast on Friday. The mood in the village has been somber, a day after two Alaska State Troopers were killed in the town while attempting to arrest Arvin Kangas. May 2, 2014

Droves of Alaska State Troopers descended on the tiny Interior Alaska village of Tanana Thursday afternoon following a fatal shooting of two of their own. Grief-stricken residents watched as troopers in full SWAT gear surrounded a small brown house with black trim and waited as the man they'd allegedly tried to arrest earlier in the afternoon holed himself inside with an assault rifle and liquor.

Much remains unclear, but what is known is troopers Sgt. Patrick "Scott" Johnson and Gabriel "Gabe" Rich, both members of the Fairbanks Rural Service Unit, were killed in the line of duty. They were reportedly responding to a report from Wednesday night that a man had brandished a gun in the village.

What happened next is uncertain, but ensuing events left two troopers dead, and one man holed up inside a village home. Reports from village residents, which couldn't immediately be confirmed, said a second man had shot the officers and had been detained earlier.

Troopers spent several hours outside the home, taking cover behind rusty pickup trucks and log sheds waiting for the man, Arvin Kangas, to emerge. He eventually exited the house around 10:25 p.m.

Read more: Two Alaska State Troopers shot, killed in Tanana

Contact Jerzy Shedlock at jerzy@alaskadispatch.com or on Google+

Contact Loren Holmes at loren@alaskadispatch.com or on Google+