This is a developing story.
A 30-year-old Juneau woman was fatally shot Christmas morning after threatening a person at the Mendenhall Valley Breeze In and then approaching police officers with a hatchet, according to the Juneau Police Department.
The woman, who was not identified by JPD in an updated press release at about 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, was apparently homeless and known to other local residents in similar circumstances who spoke to the Empire after the shooting.
The incident began with a call from the convenience store at about 5:25 a.m. and culminated in the shooting on the street near the intersection of Trout Street and Glacier Highway, according to the JPD release.
“The caller reported there was a female with a hammer screaming at people and the female had threatened the caller with the hammer,” the release states. “Three JPD officers responded to the scene and were immediately met by the female in the parking lot. The female began walking towards them with a hatchet in her hands. During the initial contact, the female was holding the hatchet and refused to follow requests and orders from the officers to put the hatchet down.”
“A taser was deployed, which struck the female, but the female continued to advance towards the officers with the hatchet in her hand. As the female walked towards an officer, he discharged his weapon, striking the female. Capital City Fire/Rescue was immediately requested and dispatched.”
No officers or bystanders were injured, according to the release.
Berton Tullis, a longtime Juneau resident experiencing homelessness, said he was sleeping behind the Jordan Creek Shopping Center next to the Breeze In when the shooting occurred.
“I heard some yelling and then it sounded like a few cannons going off or something. And then sirens like in 30 seconds.”
Police closed Trout Street as well as Glacier Highway between the McNugget Intersection and Jordan Creek Shopping Center until shortly before 11 a.m. when the woman’s body was removed from the scene. A notice posted on the Breeze In’s Facebook page states the Valley location will be closed until further notice, but expects to reopen sometime “closer to this evening.”
The incident is the second fatal JPD-involved officer shooting this year. Steven Kissack, a resident experiencing homelessness was killed on Front Street downtown on July 15. An investigation found the four JPD officers and one Alaska Wildlife Trooper involved were justified in their use of lethal force, with bodycam and amateur videos showing Kissack was holding a knife and running in the direction of one of the officers when the shooting occurred after an encounter lasting more than 16 minutes.
That killing fueled hostility among many living without housing toward police and the shooting on Wednesday resulted in further anger.
At about 9 a.m. another unhoused man yelling angrily about “a death in the family” was confronted by several JPD officers in the Nugget Mall parking lot. After a discussion lasting more than 10 minutes during which the man seemed to calm down, Tullis — who had gone to the Glory Hall a few blocks away for breakfast — walked across the parking lot to greet the man. Both were allowed to leave the scene and walked together back to the shelter.
“I just got word from my ex — she’s telling me that this guy’s gonna get shot by the cops because he’s freaking out,” Tullis said.
Berton Tullis (wearing a black jacket at left) greets a man who got into an angry discussion with Juneau Police Department officers following the fatal shooting of a woman by an officer near the Nugget Mall on Wednesday morning. Both men left the scene peacefully. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)
The man confronted by police declined to give his name or discuss what the officers told him.
The woman’s next of kin has been notified, according to JPD.
“The Juneau Police Department with assistance from the Alaska Bureau of Investigation (ABI) is investigating this incident,” the release notes. “Upon the completion of the investigation, the State of Alaska Office of Special Prosecutions will review the officer’s use of force and make a final determination if the use of lethal force was legally justified.”
• Contact Mark Sabbatini at mark.sabbatini@juneauempire.com or (907) 957-2306.
