Fairbanks police say officer was shot 5 times but returned fire; video of shooting released




ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — A Fairbanks, Alaska, police officer was shot five times by an assailant early Sunday but managed to return fire before the man drove off in his patrol car.

Police say Sgt. Allen Brandt and other officers were patrolling in a residential neighborhood east of downtown after receiving a call of shots fired.

A dashboard video shows Brandt's patrol car stopping as a man walks in the opposite direction. The man reaches into his coat pocket and walks out of camera range. Seconds later, the man, holding a handgun, flashes in front of the patrol car.

Brandt was struck four times in the lower parts of his body and once in the chest. Body armor helped protect Brandt from the shot to the chest but shrapnel struck his eye.

Brandt was able to get off the street to report his location and that he had been shot.

Police don't know if the assailant was hit. Police say the man drove off in Brandt's patrol car and abandoned it a few blocks away.

 

Brandt was flown to Anchorage in serious condition. He was in stable condition Monday.

Police describe the suspect as an Alaska Native man about 20 years old.