Officers involved in fatal shooting of man outside Anchorage apartments have 2 to 25 years of experience, police say
May 16—The Anchorage Police Department has identified four officers who shot at a man during a fatal confrontation Monday outside a West Anchorage apartment as mostly seasoned members of the force.
The man killed during the encounter was 34-year-old Kristopher K. Handy. Police said Handy "raised a long gun towards the officers." No officers were injured, they said.
Police in an update Thursday said the officers who discharged their weapons were James Stineman, hired in June 2022; Jacob Jones, hired in December 2016; Jacob Ostolaza, hired in June 2016; and Sgt. Noel Senoran, hired in November 1999.
A police spokeswoman provided little new information about the shooting, citing an ongoing state investigation into whether the officers' actions were justified.
Police have said they were initially called to the apartment on the 7100 block of Bearfoot Drive around 2:15 a.m. for a disturbance in one of the units between Handy and a woman. As officers headed to the area, dispatchers were told that Handy "had gone outside the apartment complex with a long gun," police said.
The officers approached the apartment in two teams, according to police. Handy "raised a long gun towards the officers" and four fired their guns at him, police said.
Officers rendered first aid, and medics from the Anchorage Fire Department responded and ultimately declared Handy dead at the scene, police said.
The officers who fired their weapons were placed on four days of administrative leave, per police policy. The Office of Special Prosecutions will review the use of force to determine if it was justified. APD's Internal Affairs unit will review their actions afterward to determine if the officers violated policy, police said.
Renee Oistad, a spokeswoman for the police department, did not answer additional questions about the shooting Thursday morning, citing the "ongoing criminal investigation being conducted by OSP." She did not say if the involved officers would return to normal service or if any would continue to be held on leave.
The incident marked the first time an officer in Anchorage has fatally shot someone while wearing a body camera.
Anchorage voters approved a $1.8 million tax increase in 2021 that paid for the cameras and an update to other critical department technology. Officials at the time said they aimed to equip officers by the end of that year. It took more than two years for Anchorage officers to begin wearing cameras. The police force was fully outfitted by March.
Chief Bianca Cross said during a Monday media briefing that the department would release the footage after the investigation was complete. She did not provide a timeline for how long that would take.
Cross has not yet been confirmed as chief. Mayor Dave Bronson announced last month that she would take over the role as Michael Kerle retired.
The department's policy states that the chief may release footage of officer-involved shootings prior to completion of investigations. Oistad on Thursday did not answer a question about why Cross chose not to release footage of this shooting.
Cross did not answer questions on Monday about whether Handy's gun was loaded, if he threatened the woman with the weapon or how they knew each other, citing the ongoing investigation.
