Officer Involved Shooting Update; E 10th Avenue

Update on 3/21/22:

The officer who fired his weapon the morning of March 18, 2022, is Brandon Schafer.  He has been employed with the Anchorage Police Department for three years and nine months.

Per policy, the state’s Office of Special Prosecutions (OSP) will review the officer’s use of force and determine whether it was justified.  Once that has been completed, APD Internal Affairs will review the officer’s actions to confirm whether there was any violation of policy.  As per APD practice, the officer was placed on four days administrative leave.

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

Original on 3/18/22:

At 2:44 AM on March 18, 2022, officers with mid-shift patrol responded to an apartment complex on the 800 block of E 10th Avenue regarding an assault with a hammer.

While officers were speaking with the victim, the suspect exited an adjacent apartment and officers attempted to contact him.  The suspect was not compliant and returned to his apartment. After multiple unsuccessful attempts to make verbal contact, officers obtained a search warrant.

Once the warrant was in hand, officers knocked and made several verbal announcements to the suspect. When the suspect did not respond, officers were forced to breach the apartment door. The suspect, who had barricaded the entrance to the apartment, then fired multiple rounds at police, striking one officer in the lower body. Another officer returned fire but did not hit the suspect. Officers were able to extricate the wounded officer and themselves to a position of safety.

APD SWAT and the Crisis Negotiation Team responded to the scene and after a lengthy negotiation the suspect, identified as 28-year-old Dillon Spring, surrendered, and was taken into custody without further incident at 1:24 PM. Dillon N. Spring was remanded at Anchorage Jail on five counts of Attempted Murder I, two counts of Assault I, five counts of Attempted Assault I, six counts of Assault III and four outstanding misdemeanor warrants.

“Thank you to the citizen who was on a ride along with patrol this morning that rendered lifesaving aid to our officer,” said Chief Kerle. “We are grateful to the law enforcement agencies, government officials and members of our community for the outpouring of support for our injured officer. I also want to thank the first responders who are willing to put their lives on the line every single day for the safety and wellbeing of our community.”

The injured officer is expected to survive his injuries.  The officer and his family will need time to heal, please respect their privacy during this time.

APD Case: 22-8766