A call reporting a vehicle in the ditch in Dillingham at 11:36 am on Thursday would ultimately result in an officer-involved shooting incident in that community and the investigation is ongoing, troopers report.

The Dillingham Police Department was alerted of the vehicle in distress on Thursday morning and further told that the driver appeared to be intoxicated. DPD reached out to the Alaska State Troopers for assistance at 12:21 pm and then that department was informed that the driver was in possession of a rifle. The suspect driver would speak to DPD and confirm that he had a firearm in his possession.

When officers from Dillingham police arrived at the scene, the driver of the vehicle was actively attempting to extricate his vehicle from the ditch and flee the scene but was unable to do so. Additional police officers and troopers arrived at the location and soon after, shots rang out in an exchange of gunfire. Police and troopers safely retreated and set up a perimeter and Dillingham dispatch was informed that shots had been fired.

As a precaution, the local hospital went into lockdown and an ambulance was called in and staged at a safe distance from the incident site. The Southcentral Special Emergency Reaction Team from Anchorage was called in.

AST reported no injuries to officers in both departments in the exchange.

Efforts to communicate with the driver, whose name has not been released, were made and at 5:36 pm he was taken into custody by Alaska State Troopers, Dillingham PD, and Southcentral SERT team members and treated for his injuries.

The Alaska Bureau of Investigation responded to take over the investigation and processed the scene.

“The names of the law enforcement officers that fired their weapons will be held for 72 hours, per DPS and DPD policy,” troopers stated.

  Alaska, dillingham, intoxication, motorist, officer involved shooting, rifle, shots fired