text: Gerald, "LEOs have no right to hinder that escape".
  
  Well not quite.  LEO's have the right "to hinder that escape" as allowed by the law.  The law does not allow police to shoot a fleeing suspect unless very specific conditions are met. These are laid out in AS11.81.371, which I cut/pasted a section above.  Those conditions do not appear to be met in this case. You might take a look at the law and see for yourself. 
  
  If our police don't follow the law, and do so in an open and honest way, what can we expect from the more savory elements of society?
  
  So, was the shooting in self defense.  We just don't know because we are not being told any information. The secretive nature of the police investigation, of themselves, makes it look very much like a cover up.  The police are suppose to be working for the public and therefor should not be hiding.