Police: Man killed in downtown Anchorage shooting; police shoot and wound another man believed to be involved

Updated: 18 Seconds before Published: 22 Some minutes ago

A man was shot dead in a parking lot in downtown Anchorage early Saturday morning. Police then shot and wounded another man, who witnesses said was involved in the first shooting, police said.

The shootings occurred around 2:30 a.m., police said in a written statement early Saturday. Officers were in the 700 block of West Fourth Avenue visiting a bar when they heard gunshots about a block from the parking lot at the corner of H Street and West 3rd Avenue, police wrote.

“Witnesses alerted officers to a man and stated he was involved in the shooting that had just occurred,” police said. “Officers confronted the man, who was armed with a weapon, near West 3rd Avenue and G Street. Two officers fired their weapons, striking the adult male in the upper and lower torso.”

The man who was shot by police was taken to a hospital and was in stable condition Saturday morning, police wrote.

“Initial indications indicate that some type of altercation occurred in the 3rd/H parking lot that culminated in gunfire,” police wrote.

One man died in the parking lot shooting and a second man suffered a gunshot wound to the lower body, police wrote. He was taken to the hospital with injuries that were not considered life-threatening, police wrote.

“The number of shooters, who they are, the motive behind the shooting and whether those involved knew each other are all under investigation,” police wrote. “After the shooting in the parking lot, several people fled the scene.”

The names of the shooting victims and the officers involved have not been released.

Police investigators were collecting evidence in the area Saturday morning and roads were closed, police wrote.

Police are asking anyone with information who has not yet spoken to officers to call the police emergency dispatch center at 3-1-1 or 907-786-8900.

Per department policy, the officers involved in the shooting have been placed on leave and the state’s special prosecutor will investigate the case.

On May 13, Anchorage police officers shot and killed a man outside a West Anchorage apartment building after he allegedly pointed a gun at them. That shooting is currently under investigation and sparked controversy after a citizen’s video surfaced raising questions about whether the man had a gun raised when he was shot. Police have declined to release officers’ bodycam videos while the investigation is ongoing.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

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