Alaska man killed, deputy marshal wounded in warrant case

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — A man was fatally shot in the western Alaska community of Aniak after injuring a deputy U.S. marshal and brandishing a shotgun as a task force sought to carry out an arrest warrant, according to the state Department of Public Safety.

A U.S. Marshals task force was in the community Friday at the request of the Alaska State Troopers to carry out what the public safety agency described as a high-risk arrest warrant for Andrew John, 34.

As the task force was clearing the home, John “shot at the team” and hit a deputy U.S. marshal, the public safety agency said in a statement.

Task force members got the deputy out, and John later emerged from the home with a loaded shotgun, according to the statement, which says “multiple” task force members fired their weapons in response, “fatally striking” John.

The wounded deputy was listed in fair condition over the weekend, the statement said.

Aniak-based Troopers were on the scene helping the U.S. Marshals, but “no Troopers were directly involved in the incident,” said Austin McDaniel, a spokesperson for the state Department of Public Safety.

The warrant was related to a case in which John was accused of pointing a gun at two men when they knocked on his door last month, McDaniel said.

A message seeking comment from the U.S. Marshals Service was not immediately returned Monday.

The Alaska State Troopers Bureau of Investigation is handling the case, and its investigation will be sent to the state Office of Special Prosecutions for review, the department said.