Troopers involved in fatal shooting identified

WASILLA — Alaska State Troopers have released the names of five of their own who shot and killed a woman in Wasilla over the weekend.

The troopers who fired on Nora J. York, 58, are:

• Trooper Daron Cooper

• Trooper Timothy Cronin

• Trooper Ronald Hayes

• Trooper recruit Lance Jamison-Ewers,

• Trooper Joshua Varys

Troopers say the other officers on scene that day either did not use deadly force or used only tasers, which they said in a previous press statement were unsuccessfully deployed three times on York.

York was pronounced dead on scene having received multiple gunshot wounds. One trooper was injured in the incident with what appeared to be a gunshot wound, but was treated and released the same day.

The incident happened in the wee hours of Saturday morning when troopers were called to what they were told was possibly a suicide attempt just off of Wasilla-Fishhook Road on Atka Drive. Seven troopers responded because the incident happened to take place at shift change.

Troopers say the whole thing began when a man in a wheelchair called 911 to say York had pointed a shotgun at him and threatened to shoot him. York was heard in the background of the call and may have used the phrase “suicide by cop.”

With troopers on scene, York exited the home, still holding the shotgun, but also armed with a semi-automatic pistol.

Troopers say they asked her to put the guns down but she didn’t comply and wound up pointing the shotgun at them, at which point she was shot.

Department policy calls for three days’ leave for any trooper who uses deadly force. Those three days were due to expire earlier this week.

Policy also calls for an investigation, in this case conducted by the Alaska Bureau of Investigation, which is handled just as any shooting death is with the evidence gathered handed over to the state’s Office of Special Prosecutions and appeals for review.

The last officer-involved shooting was in early February when troopers shot and killed Debra L. Torrey, 38, of Wasilla, who was armed and threatening her therapist at a doctor’s office on the Palmer-Wasilla Highway. Two troopers — Alfred “Skip” Chadwell and Kevin S. Blanchette — fired on Torrey, killing her on scene.

The investigation into that shooting took about a month to wrap up and ended in March with both troopers cleared of any misconduct.

Contact Andrew Wellner at andrew.wellner@frontiersman.com or 352-2270.