Troopers involved in shooting identified

WASILLA — Alaska State Troopers have released the names of two officers who fired on a gun-wielding woman at a doctor’s office last week.

According to trooper spokeswoman Megan Peters, the two officers who fired their weapons are Alfred “Skip” Chadwell and Kevin S. Blanchette, both assigned to the troopers’ Palmer Post.

The evening of Feb. 3, troopers were called to the Garret Medical building just past Seward-Meridian Parkway on the Wasilla side of the highway. A caller reported a woman fired a gun inside Capstone Family Medicine. Dispatchers told troopers the woman was reportedly still outside trying to get back in.

Troopers later identified the woman as Debra L. Torrey, 38, of Wasilla. They say she would not put down the gun and made “threatening statements and motions.” Chadwell and Blanchette fired on Torrey, killing her. No one else was hurt.

Monday, Sgt. Mike Burkmire with the troopers’ Alaska Bureau of Investigation in Palmer said his officer, investigator Luis Nieves, is looking into the shooting. Whenever an officer uses force in this manner, part of the process is for troopers to conduct an investigation just as they would into any shooting death.

“We’re finishing up the last few interviews and things like that with some witnesses and we should be wrapped up soon,” Burkmire said.

He said that when the investigation is concluded, Nieves will hand his information to the state’s Office of Special Prosecutions and Appeals, which will then make a decision, just as they would in a normal homicide investigation, as to whether criminal charges are warranted. He said his investigator’s work is not geared toward the Office of Special Prosecutions and Appeals. Troopers have their own internal process, called use of force review, which will deal with anything internal that may need to be done. That panel may look at Nieves’ investigation or they may not.

“We’re independent I guess of the use of force review,” Burkmire said.

Torrey was a patient of a therapist working at Capstone. Following the shooting, employees of the office couldn’t say what had set her off. Office manager Darjon Grimm said she felt Torrey’s therapists and the troopers had acted appropriately.

Immediately following the shooting, both Chadwell and Blanchette were placed on admnistrative leave, which is standard procedure.

Peters said as of Monday that neither was back on duty.

The last time officers shot a suspect in the Valley was in March of 2008 when Wasilla Police officers Jentry Crain and Sgt. Kelly Swihart shot and killed John Rivera, 42, in a standoff near Mile 2.7 Big Lake Road. Rivera was a gymnastics coach who was reportedly suicidal when he waved a gun toward officers, firing a round in their direction.