The officers and suspect involved in Saturday’s early morning gunfight in Anchorage have been identified. The suspect’s handgun has also been linked to five previous Anchorage homicides.
Lieutenant John McKinnon says the suspect, 40-year-old James Dale Ritchie, was not previously on APD’s radar.
Lt. McKinnon: “Very limited information, he’s had very limited contact with the police.”
Officer Arn Salao responded to the report of a man refusing to pay a cab fare downtown Saturday just before 4:30 am. When he attempted to make contact, the suspect, identified as 40-year-old James Dale Ritchie, fired multiple times at the officer. Shots were fired back by another officer who arrived on scene, Sgt. Mark Patzke, and Ritchie was declared dead at the scene.
A Colt Python .357 recovered from the scene matched ballistics from three other cases: the homicides of 41-year old Jason Netter and 20-year-old Brianna Foisy near Ship Creek on July 3rd; the murder of 21-year-old Treyveon-Kindell Thompson near Muldoon Elementary on July 29th; and the double-homicide of 34-year-old Kevin Turner and 25-year-old Brie De Husson who were found at the Valley of the Moon Par k on August 28.
Lt. McKinnon says Ritchie matched a description by witnesses.
Investigation continues and detectives are asking the public for any other information they might have about Ritchie.
APD Chief Chris Tolley says Officer Salao is in good spirits after two major surgeries on Saturday.
The chief says he believes Ritchie was an “awful person” and his officers’ actions took him out of the community to prevent harm to anyone else.