Former cop allegedly threatened to kill himself, other officers

Latest charging documents filed by state prosecutors portray a former police officer already on the path to self-destruction, and possibly willing to take as many of his former colleagues with him as he could.

Troy A. Wilson, 45, is being charged with attempted murder, assault, misconduct involving weapons, and criminal mischief in connection with Saturday’s night shooting and standoff on Black Wolf Way.

Wilson allegedly became intoxicated, threatened to hurt himself and his wife, and then fired on officers arriving at the scene. It was at least four hours later when Wilson surrendered.

In a criminal information and affidavit filed by District Attorney Dave Brower on Sunday, Wilson’s wife is described as calling 911 and saying that he was suicidal.

Later, in another phone call with the Juneau Police Department, Troy Wilson allegedly says that “anyone who comes within a thousand yards of my house will be dead. It’s time to get this thing done. Anyone who comes down my street they’re going to die. They’re done. If they f*** with me, they’re going to die.” Later, he allegedly says that he “will kill the world” and “at the end of the night I won’t be alive.”

One of the first officers on the scene was Darin Shultz. After leaving his patrol car, as many as eight rounds hit and flattened both left side tires, shattered a door window, and went through the hood. At least four other officers also saw or heard indications that they were being directly fired upon. They allegedly saw Wilson firing or spotted muzzle flashes from the open front door, and from the upstairs windows on the side and back of his house.

Officer Lee Phelps was positioned behind some trees at the back. Phelps reportedly thought he was going to die with rounds impacting around him. A bullet hole was found in a tree behind where Phelps was positioned.

A truck parked across the street from Wilson’s house took a round in the radiator while the resident of another home down the street heard one of the two bullets that hit his house.

According to the affidavit, Investigator Kim Horn appears to have been the crisis negotiator that communicated with Wilson for four-and-a-half hours, eventually getting him to surrender without any gunfire returned by officers.

Wilson apparently had some equipment left over from when he was a Juneau police lieutenant and SWAT instructor. The charging documents do not list everything that was reportedly found, but he allegedly had at least one bullet-proof vest. He also apparently had night vision goggles, at least two hand-guns, a high-powered rifle, and plenty of ammunition. In addition to the rounds that were already fired, he had at least four to six loaded handgun clips on him when he was taken into custody.

The criminal information and affidavit will form the basis of the charges to be filed against Wilson. They are likely an incomplete and very one-sided picture of what happened that night.
Following his departure from the Juneau Police Department in December after over fifteen years on the force, Wilson was recently working as a juvenile probation officer for the state.

Wilson had his first court appearance Sunday morning. He remains held at Lemon Creek Correctional Center pending posting of $500,000 cash bail.

Wilson is expected to appear in Juneau District Court before Judge John Hutchins Tuesday afternoon. The case will likely be heard by a grand jury soon and then moved to Juneau Superior Court, the normal venue for consideration of criminal felony charges.

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