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Ashley Rae Johnston

Gender : Nonbinary

Age : 30

Race : Native Alaskan

Date : 12/25/2024

Location : Mendenhall Valley Breeze-In convenience store parking lot

City : Juneau

County : Juneau

State : Alaska

Agency : Juneau Police Department

Officer(s) :Not Disclosed

Cause of Death : Gunshot

Event : Killed by police during mental health crisis

OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :

On December 25, 2024, at approximately 5:25 a.m., Juneau Police Department officers responded to reports of a woman threatening individuals with a hammer in the parking lot of the Mendenhall Valley Breeze-In convenience store.
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Upon arrival, officers encountered 30-year-old Ashley Rae Johnston with an object alternately described as a hammer or a hatchet. An officer fired a taser. Police claim that she moved toward the officers and an officer opened fire, killing her.
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Johnston had a history of mental health struggles, substance use issues, and periods of housing insecurity. Her mother, Terri Nierstheimer, revealed that Ashley had been living "in a very dark place" since 2011, following the deaths of close family members. She first experienced homelessness at the age of 12 and had been living on the streets much of her life since then.
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The officers involved in the shooting have been placed on administrative leave, per department policy. The Alaska Bureau of Investigation is conducting an investigation into the incident, and the findings will be reviewed by the State of Alaska Office of Special Prosecutions.

SOURCE LINKS :

1. https://www.ktoo.org/2024/12/25/woman-dies-in-christmas-morning-police-shooting-in-juneau/
2. https://www.alaskasnewssource.com/2024/12/25/juneau-police-officer-involved-shooting-leaves-woman-dead/