Sergeant Allen Brandt, a 34-year-old white male, was a dedicated and respected law enforcement officer in Fairbanks, Alaska. On the night of October 16, 2016, he responded alone to a report of shots fired on the 300 block of Seventh Avenue. As he approached the scene, he encountered a man walking along the street—later identified as Anthony Jenkins-Alexie.
Jenkins-Alexie opened fire, striking Brandt five or six times in the legs and torso, seizing his service weapon, and fleeing in the officer's patrol vehicle, which he abandoned a few blocks away. Despite his grievous wounds, Brandt managed to call for help before being transported to the hospital.
At the hospital, Brandt underwent surgery to remove a fragment of shrapnel lodged in his eye. The operation took place around October 27, but he suffered severe complications afterward and died the following day. His official end of watch was recorded as October 28, 2016.
News of the shooting and his subsequent struggle to survive spread quickly through the Fairbanks community. A candlelight vigil was held at the police department, where acting Chief Brad Johnson and Mayor Jim Matherly spoke, honoring the fallen sergeant's selflessness—even after enduring such an attack, he remained concerned for his fellow officers and community. Flags across Alaska were lowered in his honor for a week, and tributes poured in from colleagues and citizens alike.
Authorities identified the shooter as Anthony Jenkins-Alexie, a 29-year-old man from Anchorage at the time of the shooting. He was arrested and charged with multiple serious offenses—initially including attempted murder, but later elevated to first- and second-degree murder, first-degree attempted murder, assault, vehicle theft, weapons misconduct, and tampering with evidence—as prosecutors amended the charges following Sergeant Brandt's death.
In 2019, a jury found Jenkins-Alexie guilty of those charges. The court delivered a mandatory sentence of 99 years without the possibility of parole, reflecting the gravity of intentionally killing a uniformed law enforcement officer engaged in official duties.
Thus unfolds the tragic story: Sergeant Allen Brandt, a white male age 34, was fatally wounded while bravely serving his community on October 16, 2016, succumbing to surgical complications nearly two weeks later. The man responsible was apprehended, tried, convicted, and condemned to spend the remainder of his life behind bars.
