Anchorage police have released dashboard camera footage that shows accused serial killer James Dale Ritchie in the moments before he opened fire on an Anchorage police officer in November.
Ritchie was killed when officers returned fire in the early morning confrontation on a downtown street.
The rare gun he used to shoot Anchorage Police Department officer Arn Salao was linked to five homicides, and in April police announced that a monthslong investigation determined that Ritchie was responsible for all five deaths, including two separate double murders that happened on city trails.
Police refused to answer any other questions about Ritchie, who is accused of being the city's most prolific suspected serial killer since Joshua Wade. Wade admitted to killing five people between 1994 and 2007.
The dashcam video was first obtained and published by KTUU Channel 2 News.
In the footage, Salao follows Ritchie as he walks down Fifth Avenue toward downtown Anchorage. Salao was investigating whether Ritchie was connected to an unpaid cab fare complaint in the area, police have said.
He pulls up behind Ritchie at a parking lot near the corner of Fifth Avenue and Cordova Street. Ritchie, wearing what looks like a camouflage jacket, is illuminated in the headlights of the police car.
"Sir, Anchorage police, can I get you to stop?" Salao asks Ritchie, who walks on without looking back.
Salao gets back in the car and continues following Ritchie.
"This is the Anchorage police, you need to stop," he says over his vehicle's loudspeaker. As he begins to repeat the command, Ritchie suddenly turns to face Salao and walks toward the car. The video cuts off just before police say Ritchie opened fire at the officer.
Salao and Sgt. Marc Patzke, who was just pulling up to the scene, returned fire, killing Ritchie.
Police have cited protecting officer privacy as the reason for not releasing the full video.