Alaska State Troopers have divulged additional information in the Officer-Involved shooting in Seward that occurred on October 1 during a traffic stop there.

According to the AST investigation into the incident, Seward Police Department officer, Matthew Armstrong, initiated a traffic stop on 41-year-old Micah McComas of Chugiak as he was driving his girlfriend’s vehicle. The vehicle was pulled over into the Safeway parking lot.

McComas, who was pulled over for speeding, was found to be driving without a license. He exited the vehicle and the investigation quickly turned into a drug  investigation. McComas was arrested, handcuffe, and placed in the back of the officer’s patrol car. Officer Armstrong went back to the vehicle and asked if he could do a search of the car, which was granted by McComas’s girlfriend. 

As the search of the vehicle was taking place, McComas managed to access the front seat of the patrol car and attempted to drive away with the vehicle. Armstrong ran back to the patrol car and attempted to stop McComas. During that time, Armstrong discharged his sidearm at McComas as he tried to get away.

McComas, who was still alive when the ambulance arrived, died a short time later.[xyz-ihs snippet=”Adsense-responsive”]Assistance from AST was requested by the police department in Seward and an investigator from the General Investigations Unit, as well as troopers from Soldotna and Seward responded to investigate the scene. 

The investigation is continuing, and AST is asking that anyone with information in the incident to contact the General Investigations Unit at 907-262-4453.

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