Juneau, Alaska (KINY) – The video from the July 15th incident that ended with police fatally shooting 35-year man Steven Kissack, a man experiencing homelessness downtown was released by the Juneau police department Tuesday, September 10.
The release includes footage from the body cameras of 4 different officers as well as a cell phone video taken by a witness from a nearby rooftop.
The longest video was 16 minutes and 57 seconds from Officer Phelps’s camera. It shows him initially approaching Kissack to ask about a previous conflict. At this time, Kissack was sitting down in a doorway, holding a knife. Officer Phelps asks him to put it down while they talk, Kissack refuses, they continue calmly talking.
The conversation continues between Phelps and Kissack without incident for roughly 6 minutes before Kissack stands up and tells Phelps he doesn’t like the way he’s looking at him.
Officer Phelps told Kissack to put the knife down while backing away from him.
Phelps called for backup and when additional officers arrived they also told him to put the knife down.
The scene escalated and became more chaotic with officers trying to get Kissack to drop his knife and keep bystanders out of the area. One unidentified bystander can also be heard pleading with Kissack to put the knife down.
The encounter continues like that for quite a while until Kissack begins walking toward the officers with his hands up, while still holding the knife. At least one of the officers fired non-lethal rounds, Kissack kept approaching them. Kissack says to the officers “Do it. Do it. Do it. Kill me.” and within a matter of seconds, Kissack breaks into a run and is shot dead.
The Alaska Office of Special Prosecutions has released the report of its investigation into the incident and has cleared the officers involved of any wrongdoing. In their statement regarding the footage, the Juneau Police Department says they extend their condolences to the Kissack family for his death.
