Crime & Courts

Alaska state trooper shoots man in Sterling Highway incident

Alaska State Troopers say a despondent man who initially refused to pull over exited his vehicle on the Sterling Highway and retrieved a firearm from his trunk. That prompted troopers to fire in response, injuring the man.

Around 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, troopers got a call from the Seward Police Department about "a despondent male driving north on the Seward Highway." Troopers responded and tried to pull him over but said the driver drove off at a high rate of speed.

Troopers contacted the man, whom they did not identify in a Tuesday evening online dispatch, after he exited his vehicle near Mile 68 of the Sterling Highway.

"The man refused to comply with command and produced a firearm from the trunk of his vehicle," the dispatch said. "Ultimately, the man was shot by an Alaska State Trooper."

The man was transported to an Anchorage hospital for treatment of "serious injuries." The Alaska Bureau of Investigation is looking into the circumstances surrounding the shooting. No troopers were injured during the incident.

Following state Department of Public Safety policy, the name of the trooper involved in the shooting will be withheld for three days.

Jerzy Shedlock

Jerzy Shedlock is a former reporter for Alaska Dispatch News. He left the ADN in 2017.

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