06/18/2026
June 18, 2026
Two nights ago, the Anchorage Police Department, and this community almost lost three officers, as well as at least one innocent citizen.
Three of our brave officers survived this deadly encounter due to their training and will to survive.
Two of the three officers were shot in the process of placing the suspect in custody, and all three sustained injuries.
Anchorage Police Officers have been involved in five officer-involved shootings already in 2026.
In ALL those shootings, suspects have been armed with a gun.
In ALL those shootings, the suspect has fired shots, either prior to the officers’ arrival, or after the officers’ arrival, at or in the direction of the officers.
In ALL those shootings, the suspect has failed to comply with clear directives provided by the officers, forcing them to use deadly force.
And now in this latest incident, the suspect shot two of our officers, and would have likely shot all three, as well as at least one citizen.
“Action beats reaction.” What does this mean? It means when a suspect produces a weapon and makes the decision to take an action, in this case attempted murder, our officers must react in a split-second. The “action” of the suspect is always faster than the “reaction” of the officer. That reaction can be the difference between life and death. Our officers reacted quickly and decisively to stop this threat. This was the only choice the suspect left them.
We like to use words like “deescalation,” as though we have the luxury in every situation to apply deescalation tactics. The incident two nights ago is a prime example of why sometimes the only tactic that works to stop force, is force. And the only way to respond to a deadly force encounter, is with deadly force, when your life, and other lives around you, are depending on you.
I spent last year on the “Task Force to Reimagine the Public Safety Advisory Commission.” I watched as this “task force” was hijacked by one former assembly member and several special interest groups that claim to represent the Anchorage community. It was a frustrating process, to say the least.
It has become apparent that that these special interest groups have no desire to communicate or collaborate with law enforcement. Rather, they simply want to continue to spread their empty rhetoric. Early in the process, the Anchorage Police Department Employees Association (APDEA) offered its time, to attend meetings and begin communication and collaboration between these special interest groups and the police. To date, we have yet to hear from any of them.
They claim to represent the “victims” who deserve justice, when in fact, they do not represent the victims at all. The victims in these cases, according to the law, are the officers, NOT the suspects; NOT the suspects who have pointed a gun at or shot at our officers. The officers are victims of felony assaults or even attempted murder.
The special interest groups claim to want to communicate with law enforcement, but then they stand up in front of the Anchorage Assembly and make blanket statements that an officer who has been involved in multiple shootings should not be on the force any longer. They stand at the podium in front of the assembly and in dramatic fashion tear apart a document, drop a bunch of f-bombs, and turn to the two police officers in the room and call us killers. (Listen to the public testimony in the Anchorage Assembly meeting, dated June 9th, beginning approximately 1 hour and 26 minutes in).
It is sad that ANYONE must lose their life. But’s it’s sad for many reasons. It’s sad that mental health systems in this state have let these people down. It’s sad that substance abuse programs do not have enough beds for these people, or the wait time to get a bed can be weeks, if not months. It’s sad that friends and family many times do not heed the warnings and get their loved ones the help they need. It’s sad when the court system turns a family away when they apply for an “ex parte order,” to have their loved one committed for an evaluation. It’s sad that a suspect makes a conscious decision to commit a violent assault on an officer of the law. And it’s sad that the police are at the end of that line, and all those prior failures are forgotten when tragedy strikes; that the police are left to try and “fix” what was broken long before our involvement. And then the police are expected to shoulder the entire blame for these prior failures.
So, for those special interest groups that want to swear at the assembly, and point and call the police “killers”, just know that the people who are going to try to effect real change are not listening to you. You are wasting everyone’s time, just to get some clicks and likes, and cheers and applause from a few.
For the trolls that want to deflect from the real issues or want to turn this into politics and say rude and ugly things about police and government officials, and spread a false narrative, know that you are also not effecting real change. You are wasting everyone’s time, just to get some clicks and likes.
I have lived in Alaska for 36 years, I have been a police officer in this state for over 31 years of that time, 30 of which have been right here in Anchorage. I am proud of what I do. I am proud of my profession. I am proud of the people that I work with. They are the most professional, compassionate, smartest, bravest, best trained, best equipped police department in the nation as far as I’m concerned. And I truly believe the Anchorage community feels the same way.
On behalf of the entire Anchorage Police Department, I thank you for your support. Please know that we will not stop doing everything in our power and ability to keep Anchorage safe. This includes those officers that have just gone through this very traumatic event. They will put the gear and the badge on again, and they will return to work, to protect and serve again.
Feel free to share this post and stay tuned to hear how you can come out and support your Anchorage Police Department soon.
Sincerely,
Sergeant Darrell Evans
APDEA President
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