State investigators have cleared Juneau Police Department Sgt. Chris Gifford of any wrongdoing in the shooting of a 38-year-old Juneau resident last month.<\/p>\n
According to a report issued Thursday by Assistant Attorney General June Stein, with the state of Alaska Office of Special Prosecutions, Gifford fired at Jeremie Shaun Tinney because he believed him to be armed with a long rifle.<\/p>\n
That object, which Tinney reportedly was holding in a shooting position, proved to be a \u201crifle-bored\u201d axle that he grabbed from the back of the SUV he was in.<\/p>\n
Gifford and fellow officer Darin Schultz had been on administrative leave following the incident, Juneau\u2019s first officer-involved shooting in nine years.<\/p>\n
Schultz, who did not fire his weapon, returned to full duty shortly after the Dec. 3 shooting, Juneau Police Chief Bryce Johnson said. Gifford returned to desk duty several weeks ago and now that he has been cleared, will start back on full duty in the next few days.<\/p>\n
Johnson released the nine-page letter from the state of Alaska Office of Special Prosecutions, which reviews every police-involved shooting in Alaska.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe investigation revealed that Sgt. Gifford fired one bullet, after being threatened with what he believed to be a firearm,\u201d the report reads. \u201cTinney was treated for non-life-threatening injuries and was released from the hospital.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI have concluded that Sgt. Gifford was legally justified in using deadly force,\u201d the report by Stein continues.<\/p>\n
The bulk of the nine-page report then details the sequence of events that led to the shooting, as well as interviews with Gifford and Schultz.<\/p>\n
[DOCUMENT: Read the nine-page report here<\/a>]<\/p>\n At a press conference Friday, Johnson provided a detailed explanation of the chain of events, as well as video and audio clips.<\/p>\n Johnson said the press conference, which was live-streamed on Facbeook, was part of an effort to be transparent, and thanked the community for being patient and not speculating on what might have happened.<\/p>\n Juneau Mayor Ken Koelsch also spoke at the press conference, commending the police department for \u201centering into a full and transparent investigation.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re fortunate to live in a community where such incidents are few and far between,\u201d he said, adding that he has full confidence in the department and its officers.<\/p>\n Both Gifford and Schultz \u201cacted heroically,\u201d Johnson said, adding that Gifford did what he was trained to do, and what he was expected to do, when he fired at Tinney. Gifford has been with the department for more than 16 years.<\/p>\n Timeline of events<\/strong><\/p>\n Chief Johnson went through the approximately 23 minutes between the time Gifford first arrived at the scene and the time at which he fired at Tinney.<\/p>\n JPD officers were dispatched to Ocean View Drive after two 911 calls at about 4 a.m. The first reported a motor vehicle accident with the driver injured. The second call reported the passenger was seeking help, with an SUV in a ditch.<\/p>\n Gifford arrived first on the scene at 4:12 a.m. and spoke to a neighbor; Schultz arrived two minutes later, Johnson said. Tinney, the driver, was reported by the neighbor to be unresponsive and possibly unconscious. An ambulance was called.<\/p>\n [JPD reveals a veteran police officer shot man<\/a>]<\/p>\n Schultz is heard on audio telling a dispatcher that the SUV appears to be one that was involved in an earlier pursuit, and that he believed the driver was Tinney \u00ad\u2014 who reportedly had threatened to shoot officers in the past. That information was confirmed after Gifford obtained the license plate number, Johnson said.<\/p>\n Gifford then tried to wake Tinney, who had been slumped to the side in the SUV, which was resting at a 45-degree angle. Tinney moved to reach into the center console in what was perceived as a possible reach for a weapon, Johnson said.<\/p>\n Gifford \u201cbacked off,\u201d Johnson said, then drew his weapon and climbed up the embankment as Tinney made \u201cfinger-gun\u201d motions at him. A fire truck with floodlights was requested about 4:27 a.m. to better illuminate the SUV.<\/p>\n At 4:34 a.m., Tinney crawled into the back of the SUV and could be seen retrieving a long object, Johnson said. In response, Gifford and Schultz armed themselves with their patrol rifles and positioned themselves defensively behind Schultz\u2019s patrol vehicle.<\/p>\n Both officers saw what they believed to be a piece of wood in Tinney\u2019s hands, which later proved to be a vacuum handle, Johnson said.<\/p>\n Tinney then picked up a second object, which the officers thought was the barrel of a long rifle. Tinney pointed the object at Schulz, then began sweeping it back and forth, Johnson said, mimicking the motions of a man holding a weapon in a shooting position.<\/p>\n