A section of the Russian Jack Plaza parking lot near DeBarr Road and Edward Street remained closed Thursday after an Anchorage Police Department officer shot and wounded a man who had been reported loading a handgun inside a Walmart on DeBarr Road, police said.
Events leading up to the shooting
Anchorage police Chief Sean Case said the department received calls shortly after 1:10 p.m. reporting a man inside the Walmart who was loading a handgun. No officers were injured during the incident.
According to Case, the man left the store, fired a shot into the air once outside and then walked west. Two officers later located the man sitting in a parking lot near DeBarr Road and Beaver Place. The suspect stood up and, before officers could provide direction, an officer fired at the man.
“We’re going to have to wait for the interviews to determine exactly what happened,” Case said, describing the information released Thursday as preliminary.
Medical response, evidence and video
Officers provided medical care at the scene before the man was taken to a hospital, where he was listed in stable condition late Thursday afternoon, Case said. Police did not say whether a gun or other weapon was recovered at the scene, and they have not released how many times the officer fired or how many times the suspect was struck.
Investigators noted they have several recordings of the encounter: body-worn camera footage, a patrol car dashboard camera and nearby traffic cameras captured the incident visually. However, Case said the officer involved did not activate the body-worn camera prior to the encounter, and while video can be retrieved, the audio of the interaction was not recorded.
What police have confirmed and what remains unknown
- No officers were injured.
- Police received calls around 1:10 p.m. reporting a man loading a handgun inside the Walmart on DeBarr Road.
- The man fired one shot into the air after leaving the store and later was shot by an officer in a nearby parking lot.
- Body-worn camera video exists but lacks audio because the officer did not turn it on before the encounter.
- Police have not confirmed recovery of a weapon from the suspect or the number of rounds fired by officers.
Police issued a public alert at about 1:50 p.m. Thursday. Case emphasized the briefing represented preliminary information primarily derived from dispatch records and the initial reports tied to the Walmart calls. Full clarity, he said, will depend on interviews and further investigation.
| Timeline | Details |
|---|---|
| ~1:10 p.m. | Dispatch received reports of a man loading a handgun inside Walmart on DeBarr Road. |
| Shortly after | Man left store, fired one shot into the air, walked west. |
| Later | Two officers located the man sitting in a nearby parking lot; he stood and an officer fired. |
| ~1:50 p.m. | Police public alert issued; scene partially closed. |
Community impact and next steps
The shooting occurred at a busy retail corridor in East Anchorage, prompting temporary closures and drawing attention to police use-of-force procedures, especially regarding body-camera activation. The absence of audio in the video evidence raises questions about how investigators will reconstruct officers’ commands and the suspect’s actions in the moments leading up to the shooting.
Case said interviews with officers and witnesses are needed to establish a fuller account. The department did not provide a timeline for when those interviews or a complete investigative report would be released. The Alaska State Troopers or a designated use-of-force review unit customarily participates in serious officer-involved shootings; any formal review or criminal investigation will determine whether departmental policy or criminal statutes were violated.
For residents who frequented the DeBarr Road Walmart or the surrounding shopping center, the incident is a reminder of concerns about public safety and transparency in policing. Officials urged anyone with video or additional information about the incident to contact the Anchorage Police Department as investigators continue to piece together the sequence of events.
