Press Release

Office of Special Prosecutions Completes Review of An Officer-Involved Shooting in Juneau

September 11, 2024

(Anchorage, AK) – The Office of Special Prosecutions has completed its review of an officer-involved shooting incident from July 15, 2024, involving Steven Kissack and Juneau Police Department Sgt. Christopher Gifford and Alaska State Trooper Sgt. Branden Forst in Juneau.

The review determined that both Sgt. Forst and Sgt. Gifford were legally justified in their use of deadly force against Mr. Kissack. The incident occurred after a Juneau PD officer attempted to talk to Mr. Kissack about a recent assault in which he was a suspect, and Mr. Kissack brandished a knife.

CONTACT: Chief Assistant Attorney General Jenna Gruenstein, at (907) 269-6250 or jenna.gruenstein@alaska.gov.

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Department Media Contact: Information Officer Sam Curtis at sam.curtis@alaska.gov or (907) 269-6269.

Due to resource constraints, we no longer post links to referenced records. Records filed in a federal court are readily available at Docket Search or PACER, and records filed in a State of Alaska court are readily available from the Alaska Court System (Trial Courts - Alaska Court System and Search for an Appellate Case). Contact Sam Curtis to request a referenced record that is not readily available from a court or on the internet, or contact law.recordsrequest@alaska.gov to submit a formal Alaska Public Records Act request.