Alaska police officers shot a fishing boat captain in Sand Point, Alaska, U.S.A. after he attempted to take a fishing vessel that had been seized by the government.
The vessel had been seized via a search warrant related to an Alaska State Trooper drug trafficking investigation, but on 1 September the fishing boat captain attempted to regain possession of the boat. At 1:50 p.m. local time, San Point Police Department officers standing guard saw the captain board the vessel and attempt to fleet, according to an Alaska State Trooper dispatch. When officers boarded the vessel to prevent an escape, they claim the captain pulled out a hatchet. One of the officers then shot the captain, who was medevaced elsewhere for his injuries to be treated.
The Alaska Bureau of Investigation will be investigating the shooting.
“At the request of the Sand Point Police Department, the Alaska Bureau of Investigation assumed case responsibility for the officer-involved shooting,” Alaska Wildlife Troopers said in a dispatch. “Once their investigation is complete, it will be independently reviewed by the Alaska Office of Special Prosecutions.”
The state government claims that 600 grams of methamphetamine and 35 grams of heroin were found on the vessel, placing a combined value on the narcotics of USD 970,000 (EUR 831,970).
