Juneau police name the officer involved in a shooting in the Mendenhall Valley

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An arm badge for the Juneau Police Department on an officer’s uniform, photographed in 2016. Juneau police on Friday identified the officer who shot at a Juneau resident Tuesday night. (Photo by Jeremy Hsieh/KTOO)

The Juneau Police Department has named the officer who shot at a man and hit two nearby homes in a trailer park in the Mendenhall Valley

Officer Eric Hoffman shot at Juneau resident Art Whitney who said he was feeling suicidal at the time. 

According to a written statement from the police, officers talked to Whitney on the phone before they arrived on scene and he told them that he had a gun and was going to hurt himself.   

Police said they arrived just after 8 p.m., announced themselves as police officers and asked Whitney to walk towards them and show his hands. 

At some point, Hoffman believed a gun was being pointed at him and he fired three shots at Whitney. 

Whitney said that he was on the phone, waiting for officers to arrive and wasn’t doing anything threatening. He said he gave his gun to his roommate before he went outside. 

Juneau police confirmed on Friday that Whitney didn’t have a gun on him during the shooting. 

Hoffman didn’t immediately respond to phone or email requests for comment. He is currently on administrative leave. 

If you’re in a crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 or Careline Alaska at 1-877-266-HELP.

Lyndsey Brollini

Local News Reporter

I bring voices to my stories that have been historically underserved and underrepresented in news. I look at stories through a solutions-focused lens with a goal to benefit the community of Juneau and the state of Alaska.

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