A man shot by Sand Point police last week was arraigned in Anchorage Thursday after his arrest at Ted Stevens International Airport on Wednesday.
According to court documents, 42-year-old Sand Point resident Duke Ogata faces two felony drug charges, manufacturing or delivering heroin and possessing methamphetamine with intent to distribute. He also faces a third-degree assault charge.
Prosecutors say Ogata was the captain of the Lady Joanne, a Sand Point fishing vessel that Alaska State Troopers had seized as part of a broader drug investigation.
Ogata allegedly boarded the vessel on Sept. 1 and threatened Sand Point’s police chief with a hatchet, according to the charging documents. The chief fired once, wounding Ogata.
The shooting happened at the city’s small boat harbor, where roughly 80 people — including many children — were participating in the community’s Silver Salmon Derby over Labor Day Weekend.
Ogata was medevaced to Anchorage in stable condition and is now being held at the Anchorage Correctional Complex. The police chief has not been placed on administrative leave.
Troopers initially said they were investigating suspected drug trafficking in the region and that no charges had been filed against Ogata at the time of the shooting. Police say they found heroin and meth onboard the 58-foot fishing vessel with a street value of nearly $1 million.
The shooting is being investigated by the Alaska Bureau of Investigation.
