Gunman Killed in Downtown Fairbanks Near Cushman By Troopers, City Cops. Two Others Shot & Wounded

After Two-Day Pursuit Of Suspect, "Multiple Law Enforcement Officers" Shot 57-Year-Old Anchorage Resident In Street Confrontation

Investigation Underway By Alaska Bureau Of Investigation 

Update 6/23 9:50 am: 

The law enforcement officers that discharged their duty weapons during the June 20 incident in Fairbanks are identified as:

• Alaska State Trooper Alex Valdez, a three-year veteran of the Alaska State Troopers

• Alaska State Trooper Cody Kasper, a one-year veteran of the Alaska State Troopers

• Alaska State Trooper Joshua Schoeffel, a one-year veteran of the Alaska State Troopers

• Sergeant Dennis Benn, a fourteen-year veteran of the Fairbanks Police Department

• Officer Lane Bonham, a five-year veteran of the Fairbanks Police Department

The Alaska Bureau of Investigation is continuing its investigation into all of the facts surrounding this officer-involved shooting. Their preliminary investigation revealed that the injuries to the adult female passenger and the Alaska State Trooper resulted from gunfire from law enforcement and that the driver did not discharge his firearm during the incident. Once the ABI investigation is complete, it will be independently reviewed by the Alaska Office of Special Prosecutions.

Location: Fairbanks

Type: Pursuit / Trooper Involved Shooting

Dispatch Text:

Update 6/20 4:30 pm: The driver has been identified as 57-year-old Anchorage resident Amos Lane. Next of kin has been notified. 

Original: On June 19, 2022, at around 2:55 am, the Alaska State Troopers attempted to stop a 2011 Ford sedan for erratic driving near the Mitchell Expressway and Airport Way. The sedan failed to stop, and Troopers pursued the vehicle until the conditions became unsafe for a pursuit, and the pursuit was terminated. 

On June 20, 2022, at around 9:00 am, Alaska State Troopers attempted to pull over the same 2011 Ford sedan near Peger Road and Phillips Field Road. The sedan attempted to flee again, and Troopers and Fairbanks Police Officers pursued the driver for approximately 15 minutes in the Fairbanks area. At around 9:15 am, an Alaska State Trooper performed a PIT maneuver to stop the vehicle near Cushman Street and 23rd Avenue in Fairbanks. Law enforcement then blocked the vehicle, preventing it from continuing to flee. The driver, an adult male, then produced a handgun and then pointed the handgun at a female passenger that was also in the vehicle. 

The driver failed to follow the commands of law enforcement officers on the scene, and due to his actions, multiple law enforcement officers from the Alaska State Troopers and Fairbanks Police Department fired their duty weapons at the driver, fatally wounding him. During the incident, an Alaska State Trooper assigned to Fairbanks post was struck by a bullet causing non-life-threatening injuries. The Trooper was taken to a Fairbanks area hospital, and has since been released. The female passenger, and only other occupant in the sedan, was also injured by gunfire during the incident and was transported to a Fairbanks area hospital for medical treatment of non-life-threatening injuries. The driver’s body is being sent to the State Medical Examiner for autopsy. The identity of the driver will be released once the next of kin has been notified.

The Alaska Bureau of Investigation has assumed case responsibility and is actively conducting a thorough investigation into the incident. Once their investigation is complete, it will be independently reviewed by the Alaska Office of Special Prosecutions. In accordance with AST and FPD policy, the identities of the law enforcement officers that discharged their duty weapons will be identified in 72 hours by the Alaska State Troopers.