Wasilla police shoot and wound man who pointed gun at officers, investigators say

Wasilla Police Department officers shot and wounded a man Tuesday afternoon after he ran from them and pointed a gun at officers in a parking lot at 675 Parks Highway, the Alaska Bureau of Investigation said in a Department of Public Safety daily dispatch.

The man was taken to a Mat-Su area hospital with injuries that are not life-threatening. No officers or bystanders were hurt.

Officers were talking with the man in the parking lot around 3:33 pm, according to a preliminary investigation. During that contact, he fled on foot, then pulled out a gun and pointed it at officers, the dispatch said. Multiple officers fired, striking him, around 3:38 pm. Officers secured the gun and gave the man medical aid.

The man is expected to face criminal charges once he is medically cleared, and his name will be released after he is charged, the dispatch said. Any charges are accusations, and a person is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.

The officers who fired have been placed on administrative leave under Wasilla police policy. Their names will be released in 72 hours.

Wasilla police asked the state Bureau of Investigation to investigate, and the bureau has taken over the case. When the investigation is complete, the Alaska Office of Special Prosecutions, part of the state Department of Law, will independently review it.

Austin McDaniel, speaking for the Department of Public Safety, described that process to the Alaska House State Affairs Committee on April 21. Investigators "would conduct a criminal investigation to determine if that use of force was justified under Alaska law," he said. The case "would then be turned over to the Office of Special Prosecutions for independent review."

As of September, Alaska prosecutors had reviewed at least 22 police shootings since 2024 and charged no officer.