The Office of Special Prosecutions completed its review of an officer-involved shooting on July 8, 2024, involving Kirk Medak and Alaska State Trooper Gabriel Holmann in Kasilof.
The review letter was issued to the Department of Public Safety and Trooper Holmann on August 22, 2024. Due to an oversight, a press release was not issued at the time. The review determined that Trooper Holmann was legally justified in using deadly force against Mr. Medak, who was 67.
According to the Department of Public Safety dispatch on the incident, Troopers were notified that a man was threatening to kill people with a sword on South Kasilof Beach at around 12:19 am the morning of Jul. 8. The dispatch states, “State Troopers and Wildlife Troopers responded to the area and located the man near several tents.”
Two Troopers, one of whom was Trooper Holmann, initially arrived on the scene to find “a man brandishing a harpoon,” who then “charged at the Trooper’s marked patrol vehicle.” The harpoon brandished by the assailant was made of metal and approximately 7 feet long with a pointed tip similar to those used for deep-sea halibut fishing.
The man, Medak, initially retreated after one of the Troopers ordered him to step back; however, when the Troopers exited their vehicle, the man charged at them while still brandishing the harpoon and ignored the Troopers’ commands to stop. That’s when Trooper Holmann discharged his firearm, striking Medak.
Despite lifesaving efforts by the Troopers and EMS, the assailant was declared deceased at the scene.
According to a press release from the Department of Justice on Holmann’s review, when Medak charged, he was “poised as if he was about to throw” the harpoon.