Photo is of the village where the shooting occurred.
A man in the Western Alaska village of Chevak shot and wounded a police officer Wednesday evening before killing himself, according to Alaska State Troopers.
A trooper statement issued Thursday morning identified the deceased suspect as 24-year-old Harold Paniyak. Troopers subsequently identified the wounded officer as 40-year-old Derrick McDonald.
“Initial reports indicate (Paniyak) shot a village police officer,” troopers wrote. “Paniyak then took his own life. (McDonald) was medevaced to an Anchorage hospital for treatment of life-threatening injuries.”
Paniyak’s next of kin were at the scene when he died, troopers said.
Word of the incident first reached troopers at about 8:15 p.m. Wednesday. Bethel-based troopers traveled to Chevak to investigate, with assistance from the Alaska Bureau of Investigation.