Update: Thursday, Feb. 27, 4:15 p.m: Video footage from the officer-involved shooting of Ashley Rae Johnston, 30, was released by the Juneau Police Department on Thursday afternoon. Three of the videos released are from the body worn cameras of JPD officers who were on scene on Dec. 25, 2024.
One body worn camera was activated multiple times, creating a 16-second audio and visual freeze in one recording. The videos may be accessed on the JPD website. Video content and language may not be suitable for all viewers, the department notes. Some content has been redacted to ensure the right to privacy of witnesses and those others directly involved in the incident.
Original story: Wednesday, Feb. 26, 5:02 p.m: An officer-involved shooting on Christmas Day of a woman wielding “a dual-use tool with a hatchet blade on one side” outside the Mendenhall Valley Breeze In was justified, the state Office of Special Prosecutions (OSP) announced Wednesday.
Ashley Rae Johnston, 30, was killed at about 5:30 a.m. after an incident that began with her threatening people outside the store and escalated into a shooting when she approached officers, according to a press release issued by the state attorney general’s office, which oversees the OSP. Juneau Police Department Officer Jonah Hennings-Booth fired the fatal shot.
“The incident occurred after JPD received a call about a woman armed with a hammer who was yelling at people outside of the Breeze In and had threatened a private security guard with the weapon,” the release states. “Upon arrival, JPD officers discovered the hammer was actually a dual-use tool with a hatchet blade on one side. Officers verbally commanded the woman, later identified as Ms. Johnston, to drop the hatchet. Ms. Johnston advanced towards the officers while holding the hatchet and refused to follow the officers’ commands to drop the weapon.”
“An attempt to Tase Ms. Johnston was ineffective and Ms. Johnston continued to advance on Officer Hennings-Booth. Officer Hennings-Booth fired two shots, striking and killing Ms. Johnston.”
Johnston was homeless at the time and had been living on the streets much of her life since the age of 12, said her mother Terri Nierstheimer in an interview the day after the shooting.
The incident, as with all officer-involved shootings, was investigated by the Alaska Bureau of Investigation and reviewed by OSP. None of the more than 150 investigations since 2010 have resulted in a recommendation of criminal charges.
Johnston’s death was the second officer-involved fatality in Juneau in 2024, with the other occurring July 15 when Steven Kissack — another homeless resident — was shot during a confrontation with officers downtown. Both instances resulted in objections from some residents who, beyond questioning if the actions of police were justified, said such deaths reflected a failure of community officials to prevent situations where people with difficulties are living for extended periods on the streets.
• Contact Mark Sabbatini at mark.sabbatini@juneauempire.com.
