OIS Investigation at 1300 E 19th Avenue

Update on 6/7/24:

The three officers who discharged their weapons in last Monday’s incident have been identified as:

·         Officer Nicholas Flechsing – hired December 2022

·         Officer Isaac Kimball – hired July 2018

·         Sergeant Jesse Frey – hired December 2016

Update on 6/5/24:

The deceased has been identified as 21-year-old Tyler J. May.  Next-of-kin notification procedures have been completed.

The other adult male who was detained at the scene has been released without being criminally charged; it was legal for him to have the handgun he had in his possession.  The information garnered thus far in the ongoing investigation has implicated Tyler May as the person responsible for firing shots in the neighborhood.  There is no indication the detained male had fired any shots.

Additional Information:  When responding officers initially arrived at the scene, they were flagged down by a person in a white vehicle who indicated the two males in the nearby parking lot had been involved in firing shots in the neighborhood.  Police are asking for the driver in that white vehicle to please contact police at 3-1-1 (option #1) or 907-786-8900 (press #0) so that detectives may obtain a witness statement from him/her.

Original:

At 9:30 PM on June 3, 2024, Anchorage Police responded to the area of E 19th Avenue and Karluk Street regarding reports of shots being fired in the neighborhood.  Upon the officers’ arrival, a passerby indicated that two adult males in the parking lot at 1300 E 19th Avenue were involved in firing the shots.  Officers verbally engaged Male #1 and Male #2.  Male #1 was compliant and taken into custody; he was armed with a handgun.

Male #2 was not compliant.  As he reached into his clothing a K9 was deployed.  While the K9 had hold of Male #2, Male #2 produced a handgun and ignored multiple commands to drop it.  Three officers discharged their weapons, striking Male #2 in the upper body.  He was declared deceased at the scene.  Neither the K9 nor any officers were injured.

Per policy the State’s Office of Special Prosecutions (OSP) will review the officers’ use of force and determine whether it was justified.  Once that has been completed, APD Internal Affairs will review the officers’ actions to confirm whether there was any violation of policy.  As per APD practice the officers will be placed on four days of administrative leave.  His/her names will be released publicly 72 hours after the incident. 

Once OSP has completed their investigation, their findings will be available for the public to review.

The Crime Scene Team has responded to process the site; drones will be utilized.  There will be a continued police presence in the area while that occurs.

There will be a press conference regarding this incident.  The date and time have not yet been determined.

APD Case 24-17124