Troopers release name of officer involved in Saturday shooting incident

WASILLA - Alaska State Troopers have released the name of a trooper who fired his weapon during a bizarre incident that summoned a SWAT team to a Bogard Road-area home Saturday.

A Tuesday morning press release from AST spokeswoman Megan Peters states that it was Trooper David Eastwood-Kolezar who fired one round at the scene on Wolverine Avenue in a subdivision north of Bogard Road and east of Bogard's intersection with Seldon Road.

Though a man was shot in the incident, troopers are continuing to investigate whether the round that hit him came from Eastwood-Kolezar's gun or struck the man prior to the trooper firing his weapon.

The incident began at 12:34 p.m. when Russell W. Tanner, 56, and his girlfriend, called 911 to report an armed home invasion. Troopers arriving on scene heard gun shots from inside the home.

"Tanner was then observed by troopers leaping from a second-story balcony carrying a firearm.

That's when Eastwood-Kolezar fired. Tanner was hospitalized with a gunshot wound to the elbow. He was treated, released and jailed at the Mat-Su Pre-Trial Facility on a misdemeanor weapons misconduct charge for possessing a gun while intoxicated.

Troopers say Tanner's Karen Walters, 53, left the scene in an ambulance for treatment of a medical condition.

A SERT team, sometimes referred to as a SWAT team, was called in, and a neighboring home was evacuated. Multiple police cars jammed the residential road and officers, some in special gear, surrounded the home. They brought out a bullhorn and remote-controlled robot with a camera mounted on it to confirm that the home was empty.

Right then the AST report runs out of concrete answers regarding events at the residence on Saturday.

"Although a search of the residence did locate several firearms and evidence that several shots had been fired within the home, the ensuing investigation did not find any evidence of a home invasion," according to the trooper press statement.

Also unclear is who exactly shot Tanner, whether he was shot inside the home or when the trooper squeezed off that single round.

Troopers say their Alaska Bureau of Investigation is working on the case and will send its report to a special state prosecutor, the Office of Special Prosecutions and Appeals, for review.

There are three steps for the review of all officer-involved-shootings, Peters wrote in an email. First, troopers investigate the case, then state prosecutors review it to make sure the Eastwood-Kolezar acted within the law, and finally it goes back to the Department of Public Safety, which oversees the troopers.

"The Department of Public Safety then reviews the case to determine if the trooper's actions were appropriate under the circumstance, in accordance with department policy. The review also determines if the trooper used every reasonable option to try to avoid using deadly force and the final outcome of the incident," Peters wrote.

Tanner was arraigned Sunday, according to court records. Jail records Tuesday afternoon listed him as an inmate of the Mat-Su Pre-Trial Facility.

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

WASILLA — Alaska State Troopers have released more information about a shooting that led them to surround a Bogard Road-area home Saturday.

According to an AST press statement, at 12:34 p.m., Russell W. Tanner, 56, and his wife, called 911.

“Tanner and his wife both reported a home invasion by armed persons,” troopers report.

Troopers arriving on scene heard shots going off inside the home on Wolverine Avenue in a subdivision north of Bogard Road and east of Bogard’s intersection with Seldon Road.

“Tanner was then observed by troopers leaping from a second-story balcony carrying a firearm. An Alaska State Trooper fired one round,” according to the press release.

Tanner was hospitalized with a gunshot wound to the elbow. He was treated, released and jailed at the Mat-Su Pre-Trial Facility on a misdemeanor weapons misconduct charge for possessing a gun while intoxicated.

Troopers say Tanner’s 53-year-old wife, Karen Walters, left the scene in an ambulance for treatment of a medical condition.

A SERT team, what other jurisdictions might refer to as a SWAT team, was called in, and a neighboring home was evacuated. Multiple police cars jammed the residential road and officers, some in special gear, surrounded the home. They brought out a bullhorn and remote-controlled robot with a camera mounted on it to confirm that the home was empty. It was.

Right about here is where the AST report runs out of concrete answers as to what happened at the residence on Saturday.

“Although a search of the residence did locate several firearms and evidence that several shots had been fired within the home, the ensuing investigation did not find any evidence of a home invasion,” according to the trooper press statement.

Also unclear is who exactly shot Tanner, whether he was shot inside the home or when the trooper squeezed off that single round.

Troopers say their Alaska Bureau of Investigation is working on the case and will send its report to a special state prosecutor, the Office of Special Prosecutions and Appeals, for review.

As of press time, the name of the trooper who fired his weapon was being withheld as per department policy. Troopers say they plan to release that information today.

Tanner was arraigned Sunday, according to court records. Jail records Monday afternoon listed him as an inmate of the Mat-Su Pre-Trial Facility.

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