Authorities say Alaska officer kills chain-wielding man

JUNEAU, Alaska – A police officer shot and killed a a man who was swinging a chain and making threats in Juneau early Sunday, according to a statement released by authorities.

The officer responding to a report of a disturbance and a shot fired near an apartment complex fatally shot 34-year-old Kelly Michael Stephens in the chest after midnight, the Juneau Police Department said.

The Juneau resident had been swinging the chain, threatening to kill the officer and ignoring commands to stop, police said. The man was handcuffed after he was shot and pronounced dead at a hospital, according to authorities.

The same officer had also responded to a report hours earlier of a suspect who swung a chain at a man near a store and threatened to kill him, police said. The suspect was not found, authorities said, and it’s unclear if he was the same man killed by police on Sunday.

The involved officer has been placed on administrative leave, Juneau police said. The name of the officer will not be released for a minimum of 24 hours.

The Alaska State Troopers Bureau of Investigations will help with the case, police said.