APD chief: ‘not real clear picture’ shows man shot, killed by police had a gun
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - Anchorage Police Chief Sean Case said a “not real clear” still image, taken from an officer’s body warn camera footage during last week’s officer-involved shooting in Mountain View, shows the suspect fatally shot had a gun in his lap.
Case pointed to the still image, explaining what was being shown, during a Wednesday morning news conference.
“The officer on the driver’s side opens up the door. The officer on the driver’s side observes a gun, and he immediately closes the door,” Case said. “This is a video from the officer on the driver’s side, this is the steering wheel, this is [the suspect’s] leg, this is his arm and elbow, and this is a gun sitting in the lap of the driver.”
APD identified 41-year-old Utuva Alaelua as the man who was shot and killed by an officer, later identified as Officer Carter Mayes, near the 300 block of Bragaw Street late on May 12 after police said he failed to comply with their commands following a traffic stop.
Case said initially police had been observing another vehicle at a residence which Case said was known to be associated with a felony warrant, when Alaelua’s vehicle was seen driving in the area with a headlight out.
Although Alaelua reportedly had a warrant out for his arrest at the time of the shooting, Case said, the police chief said that did not play a role in the officer’s interactions with him on the night he was shot because they did not have time to make the connection before the shooting happened.
According to a May 2 arrest warrant, Alaelua was wanted on first-degree theft and vehicle theft charges for stealing a U.S. Fish and Wildlife service truck.
Case said before officers approached Alaelua’s vehicle, they positioned their squad cars to prevent him from being able to drive off because officers considered his behavior suspicious, citing their observations that he was somewhat slow to respond to their command to pull over the car he was driving.
Alaelua then told officers there were no guns in the car, Case said, before saying that officers eventually observed a gun in his lap after previously instructing him to hand them the keys and step out of the vehicle.
While the chief said the still image shown during Wednesday’s press conference did not clearly show a gun, Case said it was a pistol and no other items were believed to be in Alaelua’s lap when he was fatally shot.
“One of the reasons why it’s not a real clear picture, because it’s only being shown for a short second. These body cameras that the officers wear, they are designed to take movement because they are designed to be on the person and so when they move around, there’s a lot of stabilization, but it’s not perfect,” Case explained.
The video, according to Case, does show Alaelua was holding his cell phone in his right hand as he says both of Alaelua’s hands are clearly seen being raised inside the vehicle.
It’s only once Alaelua’s left hand drops that the chief says Mayes fired one single shot, killing Alaelua.
The May 12 shooting is not Mayes’ first officer-involved shooting. In 2022, Mayes fired his gun in a police shooting at the Centennial Park campground that left an officer injured, as well as the suspect.
Case also confirmed that Alaelua’s brother, Puipuia Lipoi Alaelua, was killed during a February stand-off at an Anchorage hotel after police said Puipuia Lipoi Alaelua held five people hostage.
According to APD, the state Office of Special Prosecutions will review and determine if Mayes’ use of force in the May 12 shooting was legally justified.
Beyond two still images, police did not release any other pictures or video during the news conference.
Last week’s fatal officer-involved shooting has renewed calls by critics of APD’s policy for releasing body-worn camera footage for the need for a civilian police oversight board, which Case has previously disputed.
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