Troopers swarm Bogard-area home

WASILLA - Alaska State Troopers carrying assault rifles surrounded a home in a subdivision north of Bogard Road and east of Seldon Road after a man was shot there Saturday afternoon.

Nearly a dozen officers, many with automatic weapons drawn, stood outside the house on Wolverine Road in the early afternoon, at one point evacuating a neighboring family.

Trooper Spokeswoman Beth Ipsen said it started with a 911 call.

MATCOM Public Safety Dispatch got a phone call about 12:30 p.m. from Russell W. Tanner, 56. Tanner and 53-year-old Karen Walters reported a disturbance and a possible attempted break-in.

"After troopers arrived it was reported that shots were fired and a man at the scene was injured. He suffered an apparent gunshot wound, non-life-threatening."

Tanner had jumped from a second story balcony with a gun in his hand.

"Initial indications say that one of our troopers did fire," Ipsen said. "But it was unclear how the man was hurt or who, if anyone, shot him."

About 90 minutes into the incident, a visibly distraught Walters was escorted out of the home, up the driveway and loaded into an ambulance and driven from the scene. She was later released from Mat-Su Regional Medical Center.

Just before 3:30 p.m., troopers brought out a bullhorn, asking anyone inside the home to come out. They also deployed a remote-controlled robot with a camera.

"After we were pretty confident that we had everyone that lived there out of the house, we sent in a robot to clear the house," Ipsen said. "We cleared the house, didn't find anybody else in there."

Just before 5 p.m., ambulances, medics and most of the troopers started leaving the scene.

Ipsen said that in addition to regular patrol troopers, AST called in its specialized SERT team, akin to what other agencies might call a SWAT team.

"They are sometimes called out when there is a standoff situation or there is a situation where it is good to have people with specialized training in barricaded subjects," Ipsen said.

Tanner was transported to Mat-Su Regional Center for a gunshot wound to the elbow. He was treated, released then jailed on one count fourth-degree weapons misconduct. Tanner was in possession of a firearm while under the influence.

The Alaska Bureau of Investigations is investigating the incident.

The names of the troopers involved in the shooting will be withheld for three days per Alaska State Trooper Policy.

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