A 31-year-old man was medevaced to Anchorage following an officer-involved shooting in Bethel Friday morning, authorities said.
A Bethel police officer was also injured, but his wounds are not believed to be life-threatening, said AST spokeswoman Beth Ipsen.
According to preliminary information provided to troopers, Bethel police were called to a home for an “ongoing disturbance,” an online dispatch report said. When authorities reached the home, they found the 31-year-old man holding a baseball bat.
Officers tried to subdue the man and used an electric stun device on him, troopers said. The man resisted and an officer was struck by the baseball bat.
One of the officers drew his firearm and shot the suspect in the abdomen. The suspect, who has yet to be publicly identified, was stabilized in Bethel and then medevaced to Anchorage for treatment. At about 10:35 a.m., the Bethel Police Department contacted AST for assistance.
Bethel-based troopers helped with the initial investigation and the Alaska Bureau of Investigation responded from Anchorage to assist. An investigation is ongoing.
The officer-involved shooting comes in the wake of a Bethel police brutality complaint filed this week.