Anchorage, Alaska, United States

Alaska's News Source reviewed home surveillance video of the final moments of 34-year-old Kristopher Handy's life before he was shot and killed by Anchorage police officers early Monday which paints a different picture, as compared to how the shooting was described by the Anchorage Police Department.

Police said they were called to the apartment on the 7100 block of Bearfoot Drive around 2:15 a.m. Monday for a disturbance in one of the units between Handy and a woman.

In a 33-second surveillance video obtained by Alaska's News Source and timestamped beginning at 2:38 a.m., Handy can be seen walking toward the front of the building, yelling obscenities and holding a long gun by his side.

A police loudspeaker can be heard, in part, addressing Handy.

“Anchorage Police Department. Come out ... Kristopher Handy. Put your hands in the air ... Hands up.”

Handy is seen walking down a short flight of stairs, his body illuminated by light from the apartment complex.

He stops and faces police with the gun still visible, pointed downward at his right side. He doesn't appear to raise the gun in the video that was provided to Alaska's News Source.

At least 10 shots can be heard as Handy immediately collapsed to the ground, where his body laid, according to neighbors, for several hours.

The video is in contrast with the narrative Anchorage Police Department gave to reporters on Monday morning in a news conference.

According to police, the officers approached the apartment in two teams, and Handy “raised a long gun towards the officers” before they fired their guns at him.

“Four officers discharged their weapons, striking the adult male once in the upper body — at least once in the upper body,” Chief Designee Bianca Cross said during a Monday media briefing.

After watching the video, Alaska's News Source reporters requested an interview with Anchorage police, pointing out that the surveillance video does not appear to show Handy raising his gun toward officers.

Thursday afternoon police released a statement, in part, saying “We take all OIS incidents very seriously. It is important to us to notify the public in a timely manner when an OIS occurs and to give a synopsis of events as we know them to be at the time. During the press conference we gave the morning of the shooting, we made a statement that was based on the initial account of a witness. Part of that witness' version was that the suspect had raised a long gun towards the officers. As true in all cases, as the investigation progresses and more information is obtained, the more we understand the circumstances surrounding the event. Sometimes what we learn matches what we initially believed to be true and sometimes the facts that develop take the investigation in an entirely new direction.

“Video is prevalent today. It is easy to believe that video tells the entire story however that assumption is untrue. It's important to remember that video does not capture many details to include what happened before the video was activated, what happened after the video was terminated, and what happened outside the view of the camera. It also does not capture the human element of those involved to include their perception, what they see, what they hear, and what they know.

“We understand there may be questions due to the circulating video. This is an ongoing investigation, and our involved officers deserve due process. After the Office of Special Prosecutions (OSP) has concluded the criminal portion of the investigation, and APD's Internal Affairs has concluded the procedural portion, we will be able to address any outstanding questions.”

When asked for an on-camera interview Thursday, an APD spokesperson responded that the department will not be granting any interviews, “as the criminal investigation is ongoing by OSP (Office of Special Prosecutions).”

Alaska's News Source spoke with a woman — who wished to remain anonymous — who says she posted the video online at the request of Handy's family.

“I had very clear camera footage that shows him from the bottom of the steps, going down the deck, going down the steps, and standing at the end of our sidewalk that shows that no point in that timing did he point that gun, so it was disheartening to hear that they felt the need to lie,” the anonymous neighbor said.

Neighbors said police had been called to Handy's apartment several times over the years for various disturbances.

A search of online court records shows that Handy had several criminal charges, including assault charges in June 2023 to which he pled guilty, and a misdemeanor criminal mischief charge in August 2023, which was pending at the time of Handy's death.

https://www.alaskasnewssource.com/2024/05/16/he-never-pulled-gun-up-neighbors-release-video-man-shot-killed-by-anchorage-police/

Original video:

Los Angeles, California, United States

On May 2, 2024, at 10:58 a.m., Olympic Division uniformed officers responded to a radio call at an apartment in the 400 block of South Gramercy Place to assist the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health (DMH) who were attempting to place an individual, later identified as 40-year-old Yong Yang into custody.

The officers met with DMH personnel outside the residence who indicated that the DMH were called to the scene due to Yang's erratic and threatening behavior. The officers were also advised that Yang did not live at the location, and had attempted to assault one of the DMH employees when they attempted to speak with him. Based on their assessment, DMH determined Yang was a danger to others.

In their efforts to assist DMH personnel, the officers requested additional units, a supervisor, and notified the Department's Mental Evaluation Unit. Several attempts were made to communicate with Yang and encourage him to exit the residence; however, he refused. After formulating a plan and obtaining a key to the residence, the officers ascended a narrow staircase leading to the front door. The officers announced their presence and then utilized the key to open the front door. As they did so, Yang was observed standing in the living room several feet away, armed with a large kitchen knife. Moments later, Yang advanced toward the officers and an Officer Involved Shooting occurred.

Yang was struck by gunfire, dropped the knife, and was taken into custody without further incident.

Los Angeles Fire Department personnel responded to the scene and pronounced Yang deceased.

No officers or other community members were injured during this incident.

An eleven-inch kitchen knife with a six-inch blade was recovered at scene.

https://www.lapdonline.org/newsroom/officer-involved-shooting-in-olympic-division-nrf024-24bb-km/

Anchorage police have named the armed man shot and killed by officers early Monday during a confrontation outside a Sand Lake apartment complex.

Relatives of 34-year-old Kristopher K. Handy have been notified of his death, police said in an updated statement Tuesday.

Original story:

Anchorage police responding to a domestic dispute early Monday shot and killed a man after they say he raised a gun at them.

No one else was injured, according to an Anchorage Police Department statement.

Police say officers were called to the Sand Lake area around 2:15 a.m. for reports of a disturbance between a man and a woman in an apartment on the 7100 block of Bearfoot Drive. As officers headed to the scene, dispatchers received word that the man had left the apartment complex carrying a long gun, according to the police statement.

“Several officers arrived and formed two approach teams,” the statement said. “As they advanced towards the apartment complex on foot, the adult male raised a long gun towards the officers. Four officers discharged their weapons, striking the adult male at least once in the upper body.”

Police say officers immediately provided first aid, with medics taking over when they arrived, but the man died at the scene. His name was not immediately available as police notify his family.

Several APD vehicles were still outside the apartment complex at midday Monday, including the department's crime-scene RV. Police tape marked off the carport and parking area in front of the complex, with a few evidence markers on parked police vehicles and on the ground just outside the tape.

Police said in their statement that the state Office of Special Prosecutions is reviewing the shooting to determine whether officers' use of force was justified. APD Internal Affairs will then review the shooting for any violations of police policy.

At a brief news conference Monday morning, APD Chief Bianca Cross said officers at the scene were wearing body cameras, but the footage from them will not be publicly available until the investigation is completed. She said other details, including the relationship between the man and woman in the dispute and any prior police contacts with the man, were still under investigation.

This is the first time Anchorage officers who have shot and killed a person during a police response were wearing body cameras under a new department policy. Voters approved the purchase of the cameras in spring 2021, but it took more than two years for the police department to implement a policy and start outfitting officers with them.

The four officers who fired on the man have been placed on administrative leave for four days, in accordance with APD policy. They will be identified in three days.