Authorities have identified the Alaska State Trooper who shot a gun-wielding Anchorage man.
Trooper Eric Jeffords, a seven-year veteran with the force, shot 21-year-old Christopher D. Chapman after he pulled a rifle on troopers earlier this week, according to AST spokeswoman Megan Peters.
Tuesday afternoon, Seward police contacted troopers about a “despondent” man driving a Buick sedan north on the Seward Highway. Troopers tried to get Chapman to pull over, but he sped up to elude authorities. Troopers eventually were able to make contact with him when he exited near Mile 68 of the Sterling Highway.
Chapman would not comply with officers and allegedly pulled out the rifle from the trunk of the sedan. Jeffords ending up shooting Chapman, who was hospitalized in Anchorage for “serious injuries,” dispatch said. Jeffords was not injured.
Friday, an arrest warrant was issued for Chapman. He is charged with two counts of third-degree assault, two counts of felony failure to stop at the direction of a peace officer and two counts of reckless driving. He was placed under arrest after being released from a local health care facility and taken to the Anchorage Correctional Complex pending arraignment.