Press Release

Office of Special Prosecutions Completes Review of Officer-Involved Shooting in Anchorage from May 2025

July 21, 2025

(Anchorage, AK) – On July 18, 2025, the Office of Special Prosecutions completed its review of an officer-involved shooting incident from May 12, 2025, involving Utuva Alaelua and Anchorage Police Department (APD) Officer Carter Mayes in Anchorage. The review determined that Officer Mayes was justified in his use of deadly force against Mr. Alaelua.

The officer-involved shooting stemmed from a traffic stop of Mr. Alaelua. During the stop, Officer Mayes asked if there were any guns in the vehicle; Mr. Alaelua responded in the negative. After Mr. Alaelua said there were not any guns in the vehicle, officers observed a handgun on Mr. Alaelua’s lap. As Officer Mayes directed Mr. Alaelua to exit the vehicle, Mr. Alaelua lowered his left hand toward his lap, where the gun was located. Officer Mayes fired one time at Mr. Alaelua, who was declared deceased on scene.

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.