Anchorage police officers shot and killed a man carrying a rifle on a highway exit ramp early Sunday morning. Responding to reports of gunfire just after 5:30 a.m., officers encountered an SUV stopped on the South Birchwood exit off the Glenn Highway. The SUV's rear hatch was open, and a man was standing there, rifle in hand.

As the officers approached, the man advanced towards them, still holding the rifle. One officer discharged their weapon, striking the man in the upper body. Despite receiving immediate medical attention from the officers, who also discovered a handgun on his person, the man died later at a hospital. His identity has not yet been publicly released.

The officers were in the area investigating an earlier report of shots fired, but it remains unclear whether the deceased man was involved in that incident. The officer involved in the shooting has been placed on administrative leave, standard procedure during the investigation.