Trooper shot, injured after standoff in Kasilof; suspect deceased

KASILOF, Alaska (KTUU) - The man officers killed after he shot an officer, leaving the officer injured Thursday night, has been identified as 32-year-old Kasilof resident Mason Toloff.

The incident happened after troopers responded to a call of a man discharging a firearm by Crooked Creek Road around 10:05 p.m. Troopers say when law enforcement officers found Toloff, he was threatening to shoot the troopers.

The AST Southern SWAT Team soon arrived on the scene and took over negotiations and said Toloff refused to surrender to officers.

When SWAT deployed a drone outside the home, Toloff shot at it multiple times, then turned his firearm at an officer, shooting the officer in the leg. The Trooper was transported to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

At about 2:19 a.m. he pointed his shotgun at officers again. Multiple SWAT officers then fired their weapons, killing him. His body will be sent to the State Medical Examiner for an autopsy.

Three officers discharged their firearms during the SWAT operation and were assigned to the Alaska State Troopers Southern SWAT Team, according to The Alaska Bureau of Investigation.

They identified the officers Monday as Alaska State Trooper Sergeant Ethan Norwood, a 12-year veteran of AST; Alaska State Trooper Jonathan Lindblom, a two-year veteran of AST; and Homer Police Officer Charles Lee, a four-year veteran of the Homer Police Department.

The Alaska Bureau of Investigation has taken over the case and will conduct a full investigation into the use of lethal force. Once complete, the finding will be reviewed by the Alaska Office of Special Prosecutions.

Per Department of Public Safety policy, the officers who discharged their weapons have been placed on administrative leave for 72 hours, and their names will be released then.

Alaska’s News Source spoke to the Department of Public Safety and was told the injured trooper who was shot in the leg is doing better.

Troopers announced Friday that Toloff’s next of kin have been notified.

This is a developing story, check back for updates.

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