Alaska will not file criminal charges in police shooting of 16-year-old girl holding knife

Published October 1, 2024 9:36 AM

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — State prosecutors will not file criminal charges against a police officer in Alaska who fatally shot a 16-year-old girl holding a knife, concluding the officer’s use of deadly force was legally justified. The report Monday from the state Office of Special Prosecutions determined Anchorage Police Officer Alexander Roman “reasonably believed” he or another officer was about to be assaulted by the girl, Easter Leafa. The report says Roman was among the officers who responded to a call for help in August placed by one of Leafa’s sisters, who said Leafa was trying to stab her. An attorney for the Leafa family told the Anchorage Daily News he does not believe police tried to deescalate the situation.

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The Associated Press

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