Barrow’s volunteer fire department chief, a nephew of a state lawmaker, was fatally shot in an incident involving a North Slope Borough police officer early Wednesday, according to borough officials.
Vincent Nageak III, 36, of Barrow, nephew of state Rep. Ben Nageak, was identified by the borough as the dead man. The officer was not injured, officials said.
“I just want to let people know that we lost a son who was a good citizen in Barrow,” said Roy Nageak Sr., Vincent Nageak’s father.
At 3:38 a.m. Wednesday, a North Slope Borough police officer was responding to a call for officer assistance at the 7400 block of North Star Street in Barrow, North Slope Borough spokesman John Boyle wrote in a statement. Nageak lived on that block, according to voter registration records.
A shooting occurred and Nageak was killed, according to Boyle.
Boyle said the name of the officer involved will be withheld for 72 hours, a policy used by many Alaska law enforcement agencies.
Roy Nageak Sr. said the family was getting conflicting information as to what happened.