Anchorage police officers fatally shot a 16-year-old girl in response to her approaching them with a knife, the police department announced on Wednesday. The incident, which occurred just before 11:30 p.m. on Tuesday, unfolded as officers were called to mediate a disturbance between two family members, as per Alaska Public Media’s report.
Police Chief Sean Case disclosed to the media that the shooting transpired when the teen, who remains unnamed, advanced towards the responding officers wielding a knife, leading two of them to fire their weapons. Details included that the officers had issued “multiple commands” to the girl before resorting to lethal and less-lethal force.
The girl was pronounced dead at a hospital, with Chief Case lamenting that she would have been starting her junior year of high school in a few days. He emphasized that efforts would be made to offer support to students and staff affected by the tragedy within the Anchorage School District community.
Though department policy stipulates that officers deploying less-lethal weapons should be supported by colleagues with lethal options, Chief Case explained that there is room for discretion based on the circumstances confronted by officers in the field. He clarified that the officers’ body cameras had captured the incident and that their interviews had not yet taken place as of Wednesday morning.
This marks the sixth police-involved shooting in Anchorage since mid-May, with four having resulted in fatalities. The State Office of Special Prosecutions will be investigating the latest shooting, while stating that previous reviews justified the use of force in the two deadly encounters. Chief Case affirmed that a thorough examination of training, tactics, and supervision would be conducted to mitigate the likelihood of future officer-involved shootings.