Daelyn Polu, 16
Eagle River, Alaska
February 15, 2020
Agencies: Anchorage Police Department Alaska
Cause of death: Shooting
Last updated: about 3 years ago
Overview 
Officers fatally shot 16-year-old Daelyn Polu after police said he fired at officers during a traffic stop in February.
On August 2, 2020, Anchorage police identified the officer who fired his gun as Kevin Mitchell. He’s been with the department since 1993.
Several residents of the 11200 block of Steeple Drive, a steep mountainside road with widely spaced homes on large lots, called 911 around 6:20 a.m. to report a man shooting at homes with a semi-automatic rifle, Anchorage Police Chief Justin Doll said. At least one of the homes was struck and one resident was injured.
It was not immediately clear if the suspect was targeting the homes or knew the neighbors. Doll said investigators did not believe the shooting was related to domestic violence.
“So far we don’t think there was a connection between them and the suspect, but that’s obviously something we’ll be looking into as part of the investigation,” Doll said.
It also was not immediately clear how many homes the suspect may have fired at before returning to his own residence, where police encountered him, Doll said.
“The first officers that arrived formed a team and then immediately moved to confront the suspect, who was continuing to fire shots,” Doll said. “As they approached the suspect’s residence, the suspect fired more shots, one officer returned fire and the suspect was injured.”
Legal Action
In January 2021, it was decided that Four Anchorage police officers who shot and killed Polu in mid-December would not face criminal charges, according to a review from the state’s Office of Special Prosecutions.
Community and Family Efforts
Additional Resources:
- https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/crime-courts/2021/01/15/anchorage-police-officers-who-shot-unarmed-man-will-not-face-charges-state-review-says/ added January 24, 2021 12:16
- https://alaskalandmine.com/landmines/the-sunday-minefield-june-28-2020/ added August 05, 2020 13:35
- https://www.ktuu.com/content/news/The-group-behind-many-Anchorage-BLM-protests-571497501.html?ref=501 added August 05, 2020 13:35
- https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/crime-courts/2020/08/03/eagle-river-man-says-he-was-high-on-meth-when-he-shot-up-neighborhood-charges-say/ added August 05, 2020 13:26
- https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/crime-courts/2020/07/30/anchorage-police-investigate-officer-involved-shooting-in-residential-area-of-eagle-river/ added August 05, 2020 11:56