Man dead after officer-involved shooting, hostage situation

A man is dead after an officer-involved shooting Saturday night in the Wasilla area.

The Alaska Bureau of Investigation identified the deceased as Douglas William Stroble, 25, of Wasilla. The incident capped a timeline that started with REDDI reports and escalated to a hostage situation. MATCOM dispatch received a call about a vehicle that fled the scene of a hit and run incident near the intersection of Church Road and the Parks Highway, according to the Alaska State Troopers. There had already been previous reports of similar activity within Wasilla city limits. Minutes later, Wasilla police found the vehicle in question disabeled and unoccupied near Glenkerry Drive. Just after 9 p.m., MATCOM received another call from a nearby residence with a report that a male was on the front porch with a shotgun demanding keys to a vehicle. The suspect broke into the home, according to troopers, but the residents were able to escape to their garage and leave in their vehicle. The suspect moved to another home occupied by an adult female and three young children. The suspect, who still had the shotgun, separated the adult from the children, and threatened the adult he would kill the children. The Special Emergency Response team quickly responded, set a perimeter and started negotiations at about 9:30 p.m.

About an hour later, it was deemed a “clear hostage situation with a continued and imminent threat to the female and children,” according to troopers.

“The suspect was still armed and was engaged again by AST and WPD upon entry. WPD and AST fired at the suspect and he did not survive. None of the victims in the residence were physically hurt and none of the officers involved in the incident were injured,” troopers said in an online dispatch.

The names of the officers involved will be released 72 hours following the incident, according to policy. Troopers did say use of a controlled substance by the suspect is believed to be a contributing factor.

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