Officials have identified the Alaska State Trooper who, according to the state Department of Public Safety, fatally shot a man in Fairbanks last week after a short car chase. Authorities have also named the driver, who was pronounced dead after being taken to Fairbanks Memorial Hospital.
According to an update posted online Friday, Trooper Sgt. Brent Hatch shot 20-year-old Thomas Aquino, of Fairbanks. The online statement said Hatch has worked with Troopers for about 18 years and has five years of prior law enforcement experience.
According to Troopers, the fatal shooting last Tuesday followed a car chase that lasted about a minute and a half, leading down a dead-end road near downtown Fairbanks.
The original dispatch posted last week says a Trooper vehicle partially blocked-in Aquino’s sedan. And the dispatch says Hatch shot at Aquino after he allegedly drove toward Hatch while the officer was giving commands to stop.
A Department of Public Safety spokesperson said last week that Hatch was outside of his vehicle when he fired his weapon.
The Alaska Bureau of Investigation is looking into the incident. That investigation is ongoing.