Police fatally shot a Fairbanks man Monday night who they say opened fire with a semi-automatic rifle on officers responding to reports of a domestic disturbance at a home on the west side of town.
A Fairbanks Police news release issued Tuesday says after officers shot 36-year-old Thomas Bean, they discovered that Bean had fatally shot 29-year-old Jesse Bidgood, of North Pole, before police had arrived at the residence on Washington Drive.
Bidgood was declared dead at the scene, according to an Alaska State Trooper dispatch. His body and Bean’s were both sent to the State Medical Examiner’s Office for autopsy.
The Alaska Bureau of Investigation is looking into the two fatal shootings.
The Trooper dispatch says Bean’s gunfire struck police squad cars, and the officers returned fire, wounding him. More Fairbanks city police units arrived for backup, along with several Troopers. But police say Bean continued to defy commands to surrender, so several officers fired again and fatally wounded him.
A Trooper spokesperson said Tuesday that a neighbor reported the domestic disturbance. But he declined to answer questions about why Bean shot Bidgood, citing the ongoing probe by the Alaska Bureau of Investigation, which is in charge of the case.
The Trooper dispatch said once the bureau has completed its investigation, the Alaska Office of Special Prosecutions will independently review it.
The dispatch says Troopers and Fairbanks Police officers involved in case have all been placed on administrative leave, as required by the agencies’ policies. The names of all the officers who fired their weapons will be released Friday.
