Damien Dollison : Anchorage Man Fires Shotgun at Police and Stranger, Shot by Officers – Charges Filed

A man shot and critically injured by Anchorage police on Monday morning had fired a shotgun at officers and threatened others, according to a charging document.

According to a criminal complaint filed this week, officers were called by an employee of a Circle K gas station on Bragaw Street who said that a man in camouflage clothing was yelling at another customer while holding a shotgun. The man was later identified as 51-year-old Damien Dollison.

Surveillance footage from the gas station showed Dollison arriving at the gas station at around 2:30 a.m. Monday, according to charges. After buying a drink and staying parked for about 30 minutes, Dollison was seen driving away and later walking back to the gas station on foot, with a shotgun, the complaint said.

Officers interviewed a witness who said that Dollison had pointed a shotgun at his truck window and told him to get out. The witness said “he assumed it was a carjacking, so prior to getting out of the truck he grabbed his handgun,” according to the complaint. After a standoff, Dollison fired a shot at the witness, who attempted to fire back at Dollison, according to charges, but his safety was on. After another standoff at the entrance to the gas station, where Dollison and the witness had “an exchange of words,” the witness said the two agreed to drop their weapons and leave, according to the complaint.

Police arrived and found Dollison walking through a nearby parking lot. As officers approached Dollison, the complaint says, he pointed the shotgun at them and fired a shot. Officers responded by shooting Dollison twice. He was brought to a hospital with what police described as “life-threatening” injuries.

Dollison was charged with felony assault and remained hospitalized as of Wednesday. His criminal hearing is scheduled for Thursday.

On Thursday morning, Anchorage police named Jacob Jones and Brandon Stack as the officers who fired on Dollison. Jones is one of four officers who shot 34-year-old Kristopher Handy in May. Handy died at the scene. Officers claimed he pointed a long gun at them before they fired, however security footage of the incident has called that narrative into question.

There have been five police shootings in Anchorage since mid-May, with three people dying as a result. These police shootings have been the first since officers were equipped with body cameras. Police have not released any footage of the shootings despite calls from the public. The city’s new police chief, Sean Case, has said the department is working on a new policy for the release of footage of “critical incidents” like police shootings.