State clears Anchorage police in fatal shooting of 21-year-old man

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - The state will not be filing criminal charges against an Anchorage Police Department sergeant and two officers involved in the fatal Fairview shooting of a 21-year-old man on June 3.

According to the 20-page report, Sgt. Jesse Frey, Officer Isaac Kimball, and Officer Nicholas Flechsing were “legally justified in using deadly force,” against Tyler Jacob May when he ignored commands and fled on foot while holding a pistol in the area of East 19th Avenue.

Frey, Flechsing, and Kimball were each equipped with fully functioning APD-issued body cameras, as was Officer Timothy Dorsey, who later provided the K9 that assisted. Footage from the body-worn cameras along with five separate surveillance cameras from the nearby senior center were used by the state in making the determination.

Around 9:30 p.m. on the night of June 3, police dispatch received three separate calls reporting two men walking along Karluk Street near East 19th Avenue.

One of the men was reported to be screaming while displaying a gun, and one caller reported having witnessed the man fire the gun. That man was later identified as May. The second man was later identified as K.O., according to the report.

Frey, Kimball, and Flechsing responded to the call as they were all reported to be on the scene. Dorsey also arrived later on scene with a K9 unit to assist the sergeant and officers.

The two men were then apprehended by police at the senior center at East 19th Avenue and Orca Place. While K.O. followed officer commands to raise his hands and sit on the ground, May ran through the senior center’s north parking lot.

Upon observing the pistol in May’s right hand, officers commanded May to drop the weapon, but May instead proceeded to place the pistol in his front waistband while raising his hands above his shoulders with his back turned away from police.

May refused commands from officers to get on the ground, according to the report, and instead ran east through the parking lot. Dorsey released the K9 who caught up to May and pulled him to the ground. Frey, Kimball, and Flechsing moved towards May with rifles.

As May wrestled from his backside on the ground to free himself from the grip of the K9, he was seen pulling the gun from his waistband and pointing it in the direction of police.

In response, Frey, Kimball, and Flechsing fired their weapons, striking and killing May.

Alaska law authorizes officers to use force if they believe it necessary to prevent serious physical injury or death to themselves or others, according to state law officials.

May was the third of five officer-involved shootings within a two-month timespan this summer.

The Office of Special Prosecutions ruling comes as APD is a week into its new body camera policy. In an interview with Alaska’s News Source, Anchorage Police Chief Sean Case said he expects to be releasing body camera footage from the officer-involved shooting of 34-year-old Kristopher Handy on May 13 next week.

Following that footage’s release, Case said he plans to release two other videos in the following weeks, with the exception of two incidents, which carry charges against the individuals, Kaleb Bourdukofsky and Damien Dollison, who police shot.

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