Two Alaska State Troopers killed in the line of duty Thursday while conducting an investigation in Tanana have been identified, authorities said.
Sgt. Patrick “Scott” Johnson and trooper Gabriel “Gabe” Rich were in Tanana to follow up on a Wednesday night report that someone had brandished a firearm in the Interior village, said trooper spokeswoman Megan Peters in a statement. Both men were members of the Fairbanks Rural Service Unit. Their next-of-kin have been notified.
In a written statement released Friday morning, Peters said Tanana residents Arvin Morse Kangas, 58, and 19-year-old Nathaniel Lee Kangas have both been arrested. Nathaniel Kangas was arrested for the murder of both Johnson and Rich, Peters said, and AST is currently preparing formal charges against him with the help of the Office of Special Prosecutions and Appeals.
Peters said Arvin Kangas is charged with fourth-degree assault and driving with a revoked license in connection with the April 30 incident with a Tanana village public safety officer.
The Alaska Bureau of Investigation is looking into the circumstances of the deaths. Locals say a weapon was fired.
A SWAT team was sent and a home was taped off, said Tanana Traditional Chief Lester Erhart.
“Everything is hush hush, everybody is supposed to be in their homes,” he said Thursday night.
Ruby Cruger, manager of Tanakon Bed and Breakfast in Tanana, said the incident happened near her aunt’s house. She was there to visit, she said, and when she got to her aunt’s yard she saw people running.
The village is shocked and saddened, she said.
“It’s sad, it’s really sad,” Cruger said. “We have an elder that just passed away and her funeral is tomorrow. It’s just sad, all the way around, especially for the troopers. We’re just thinking of their wives, their kids, what they’re going to be going through. Nothing like this ever happened here.”
Friday, AST said the bodies of the two slain troopers were recovered from Tanana and are being taken to the State Medical Examiner’s Office in Anchorage. A small procession will accompany their bodies from the airport to the medical examiner’s office, Peters said, and law enforcement officers will hold a 24-hour vigil in their honor.
There have been 14 previous line-of-duty deaths between troopers and state Department of Fish and Game personnel, according to the Officer Down Memorial Page. The most recent fatality was a March 2013 aircraft accident involving a state trooper.
Tanana is located west of Fairbanks and has a population of less than 250, according to 2010 census data.
–Dave Detling contributed reporting.