Officer Alexander Roman, who shot and killed 16-year-old Easter Leafa in Anchorage on August 13, will not face charges. The Alaska Department of Law concluded that Roman justified in using force to defend himself and others. Roman, a six-year Anchorage Police veteran, arrived after Leafa threatened her sister with a knife. The Easter Leafa shooting case has sparked protests and raised concerns about police procedures.
Officers uncomfortable arrival at an East Anchorage apartment causes family members to become worried, as shown in body camera footage. They were afraid the situation would get worse if the cops showed up. In the clip, officers repeatedly order Leafa, who sits on the balcony with a knife in her hand.Her family claims that she had poor English skills and did not vocally reply to the cops commands.
Leafa, still wrapped in a blanket, stood up and approached the police officers while brandishing a knife. She continued to walk forward three steps after they told her to put the gun down, and then Officer Roman shot her as she reached the threshold of the apartment. When Roman sensed the terror, he acted without thinking, as he told the investigators.
Leafa’s family’s attorney expressed dismay in the officer’s non-charge.Since the family was calm before the police came, they claimed the cops failed to deescalate the situation. They thought the cops should have approached Leafa from above instead of coming in armed.
The Easter Leafa shooting case has sparked protests and increased demands for improvements in police protocols, particularly in crisis response. The inquiry determined that Leafa posed a threat because she was armed and refused to cooperate, leaving Officer Roman with little time to react in the deadly encounter.
This news story was originally published by Anchorage Daily News.
