Wasilla man fatally shot by law enforcement; Troopers say he was holding hostages

Wasilla Police and Alaska State Troopers fatally shot a Wasilla man on Saturday night who they say was holding a woman and three children hostage.

Shortly before 9:00 pm on Saturday, dispatchers received a call of a hit-and-run near the intersection of Church Road and the Parks Highway.  Troopers say Wasilla Police Department officers were already looking for the vehicle described in the call after reports of dangerous driving inside the city limits.

A few minutes after the hit-and-run call, Wasilla Police found the vehicle abandoned.  Just after 9:00, dispatch received another call from the area, this time describing a man, now identified as 25-year-old Douglas William Stroble, with a shotgun standing on the porch of a nearby home and demanding vehicle keys from the residents.  Troopers say the people in the house made it to the garage and escaped in their vehicle as Stroble broke in.

Stroble then reportedly went to another house in the neighborhood that had a woman and three young children inside.  Troopers say Stroble separated the woman and threatened to kill the children. 

The Troopers’ Special Emergency Response Team was then activated and formed a perimeter around the house by about 9:30 pm.  Troopers say they negotiated for over an hour with Stroble, and that he refused to surrender.  Citing a clear hostage situation, Troopers and Wasilla Police entered the home shortly before 11:00 pm.  They say Stroble was still armed at the time and was then fatally shot by law enforcement.

The woman and children were not injured, nor were any law enforcement officers.  Troopers say controlled substances are believed to be a contributing factor to the incident.  The Alaska Bureau of Investigation’s Major Crimes unit has taken over the case, and the involved officers will be identified in the coming days.