Anchorage, Alaska: Officer Fatally Shoots Armed Burglary Suspect in South Anchorage, Police Say

An Anchorage police officer fatally shot a burglary suspect in South Anchorage on Thursday afternoon after the suspect fired a round during a fight on the ground, the Anchorage Police Department said. The suspect was declared dead at the scene, and no officers were injured.

Officers responded at about 10:05 a.m. on Thursday to a burglary call on Lore Road, police said. The department did not describe what was reported in that call, and it has not said what was taken or whether anyone was inside at the time.

Shooting on Industry Way

Several hours later, the investigation led officers to the 12000 block of Industry Way, a commercial area in South Anchorage. At about 1:41 p.m., an officer contacted the subject at 12201 Industry Way and confronted the suspect, police said. The confrontation turned into a physical altercation on the ground.

During the exchange, the suspect produced a gun and fired one round, police said. At 1:42 p.m., a second officer who was arriving at the scene fired a single round, striking the suspect. The suspect was declared deceased at the scene. Police have not said whether the round fired by the suspect hit anyone or anything, and no officers were injured.

Name withheld, reviews follow

Police said the name of the suspect will be released after next of kin notification is complete. The name of the officer who fired will be released in 72 hours, under department practice. Neither name had been released in the reports published on Thursday and Friday morning.

The state Office of Special Prosecutions will review the use of force by the officer and decide whether it was justified, police said. After that review is complete, Anchorage police Internal Affairs will review the actions of the officer to check for any violation of policy. The officers will be placed on administrative leave, and the findings of the prosecution office will be available for the public to review once its investigation is complete. The case is APD case 26-28378.

In its first alerts on Thursday, the department warned of a large police presence around the 12000 block of Industry Way, said there were no road closures, and asked people to avoid the area. It also said a drone might be used in the area during the investigation.

The Anchorage Daily News reported on Thursday that an officer had shot and killed an armed burglary suspect in South Anchorage, and its photographer documented the police investigation on Industry Way. Alaska's News Source carried the news conference held by the department on the shooting. A Friday news brief from Alaska Story counted the shooting as the ninth officer involved shooting in Anchorage this year, a pace it said has outpaced 2025 at this point in the year.