An Alaska state trooper fired his handgun while responding to a call of a suicidal teenager in a southwest Alaska village over the weekend, authorities said.
National Guard Trooper Christopher Green, along with another Guard member and a Marshall Tribal Police officer, responded to a home in the village of Marshall on the Yukon River around 2 p.m. Saturday on a report of an armed 18-year-old woman threatening to kill herself, National Guard spokesman Austin McDaniel said in an email. The Guard confirmed Green’s identity in an update Wednesday.
No one was injured in the incident, officers said.
McDaniel said one officer remained outside while Green and other officers entered the home and attempted to speak with the girl, and that as Green and the officers “attempted to exit the residence to seek cover,” the girl pulled out a loaded handgun.
Officers said Green fired his handgun “due to the woman’s actions” as he left the home.
The state’s Western Alaska Major Crimes Unit is conducting an initial investigation into the incident, according to the National Guard. The investigation will be conducted independently by the state’s Office of Special Prosecutions.
Citing the ongoing investigation, McDaniel said he could not provide any further information, such as whether the teen threatened officers or what specific actions she took that prompted Green to open fire. He also did not say where Green pointed the weapon or how many shots were fired.
Officers said the girl left the home a short time later and was detained and eventually taken into protective custody.
Officers said Green has been with the police department for 16 years and is currently assigned to the St. Marys Station. McDaniel said he and another officer were investigating an unrelated incident in Marshall on Saturday. Officers plan to release body camera footage and dash camera footage of Green once the investigation is complete.
