Utqiagvik man shot and killed by NSBPD officers after pointing rifle at them

North Slope Borough Police Department officers shot and killed a 25-year-old Utqiagvik man early Thursday after he pointed a rifle at them during a disturbance response, according to a preliminary investigation by the Alaska Bureau of Investigation.

Officers were dispatched to a residence at 11:37 p.m. Wednesday for a reported disturbance. When they arrived, they found Cortez Olemaun Jr. standing in an exterior doorway holding a rifle. Olemaun went back inside. A short time later, he pointed the rifle at officers, who shot him. He was transported to a hospital in the Utqiagvik area and declared deceased. His body has been sent to the State Medical Examiner's Office, and his next of kin have been notified.

The North Slope Borough Police Department contacted Alaska State Troopers for assistance at 12:55 a.m. Thursday. The Alaska Bureau of Investigation is leading the inquiry. Once it is complete, the Alaska Office of Special Prosecutions will conduct an independent review. That two-step process is standard for officer-involved shootings statewide. The Alaska Bureau of Investigation forwards its completed investigative file to the Office of Special Prosecutions, which evaluates whether the use of deadly force complied with state law and constitutional standards.

The officer who fired has been placed on administrative leave in accordance with NSBPD policy.

A Process That Has Played Out Before

This is not the first time that process has played out in Utqiagvik. In February 2025, NSBPD officers shot and killed Akugaq Leavitt during a domestic violence response. The Office of Special Prosecutions completed its review in October 2025 and found the use of deadly force justified. In that written determination, the office said Officer Donovan Chappell "was justified in his use of deadly force against Mr. Leavitt."

The legal standard the Office of Special Prosecutions applies centers on whether an officer reasonably perceived an imminent threat of death or serious physical injury. That standard governed the prior Utqiagvik review and will frame the independent review of Thursday's shooting as well, according to the office's published findings in the 2025 case.

Community Context

Utqiagvik is the northernmost city in the United States and the administrative center of the North Slope Borough, a home rule borough with a largely Iñupiat population spread across remote Arctic communities. NSBPD is the primary law enforcement agency for the borough.