ANCHORAGE - It’s been three days since an Anchorage police officer shot and killed a man in his own backyard in Mountain View over the weekend.
Several questions still remain, including whether or not deadly force could have been avoided if the officer had a taser on hand.
Lieutenant Dave Parker, a spokesperson for the Anchorage Police Department, said it boils down to money.
Parker says only about 40 percent of its officers, or about 150, are equipped with them.
He says a taser can cost up to a $1,000, depending on the model. That’s on average twice as much as a standard police gun.
The department is expected to get 36 more Tasers for officers, with money approved by the legislature. But those won’t be available until next year.
Another question that has come up is why the officer didn't shoot 26-year-old Shane Tasi on a different part of his body.
Police say although that may have seemed like a logical step, they say it's not realistic.
“That’s not a time to try to be shooting feet or legs, or guns out of peoples hands, it just doesn't work that way, that is a physical impossibility,” said Parker.
APD plans to hold a news conference sometime this week to answer questions about the deadly shooting.
