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Police Looking for Shooters in Officer Ambush

ANCHORAGE, AK – The chance of a full recovery “looks very good” for the Anchorage police officer who was shot as many as five times over the weekend, a police spokesman said Sunday as detectives chased leads on his attackers.

No arrests have been made in what police are calling an ambush on 47-year-old Officer Jason Allen on Saturday in Fairview.

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Police spokesman Lt. Dave Parker said Allen’s wife “said he was still in quite a bit of pain, but he’s able to respond and talk to people and talk to his family.”

A dark-colored sedan pulled up alongside Allen’s patrol car just before 2 a.m. on Medfra Street, between 14th and 15th avenues, according to police. A man opened fire with what appeared to be a handgun, police say.

Allen’s bulletproof vest stopped at least some of the shots, Parker said.

Detectives worked on the case in shifts on Saturday, interviewing witnesses and canvassing the neighborhood. On Sunday, homicide and robbery and assault investigators were following leads and looking for additional tips — no matter how small — from the public, Parker said.

They’re asking anyone with information about the shooting to call 786-8900 or 561-7867.

Police are putting extra effort into finding the attacker or attackers given the brazen nature of the shooting, Parker said. "He’s bold enough to shoot a police officer, who he knows is armed, in ambush.

“Who knows what they’re capable of?”

Allen was about three hours into his shift at the time of the shooting, Parker said. The officer had spent roughly 45 minutes at a nearby home on an unrelated call, according to a neighbor. Police don’t believe the shooting was connected to anything that happened earlier in the shift, Parker said.

The surprise attack on Allen follows a string of police officers killed in western Washington since Oct. 31.

Five Anchorage Police Department employees had recently attended a funeral for some of the slain officers and were briefed on how the Washington cases were solved, Parker said.

At a Saturday news conference, Lt. Dave Koch said video evidence played a role in solving the Halloween attack, noting police are also reviewing video related to the Fairview shooting. Police have declined to say where the footage comes from.

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