A man wanted in connection to a Monday shooting of an Alaska State Trooper is in custody after an overnight manhunt.
State troopers arrested 60-year-old Bret Herrick, of Anchor Point, near his residence around 8:40 a.m. Tuesday morning, according to a trooper dispatch.
Herrick was taken to the Homer Jail and booked at about 9:10 a.m. and transported to Wildwood Pretrial Facility in Kenai at about 11:20 a.m., according to Homer Police Chief Mark Robl.
Herrick will be charged with first-degree attempted murder and first-degree assault, according to a trooper dispatch issued at 4 p.m. on Tuesday. He will be arraigned at the Kenai Courthouse.
The dispatch said the investigation into Monday’s incident will continue and an increased law enforcement presence in Anchor Point is to be expected.
The trooper, who was assigned to Anchor Point when shot Monday, was said to still be in “fair condition” after being airlifted to Anchorage from a local hospital, according to an 11 a.m. update from a trooper dispatch on Tuesday.
“There were no other injuries of anybody not directly involved in this incident known to troopers at this time,” McDaniel said.
In a press release at about 11 a.m. Tuesday, troopers added more details about the shooting. At about 1 p.m. Monday, an Anchor Point trooper saw Herrick at a downtown business. The trooper knew Herrick had multiple warrants for his arrest. The trooper contacted Herrick and attempted to arrest him. Troopers said Herrick pulled a handgun and fired at the trooper, hitting him multiple times. The trooper also discharged his service weapon. As another trooper responded, Herrick fled the area on foot, the release reported.
Local law enforcement, Alaska Department of Public Safety aircraft, and troopers with the Special Emergency Reaction Team, or SERT, went to Anchor Point to search for Herrick. The search went on through the day and into Monday evening and early Tuesday morning. At about 8:40 a.m. Tuesday, SERT members following up on a tip found Herrick near his Anchor Point home. Troopers arrested Herrick without incident.
Because the injured trooper also discharged his firearm, McDaniel said that following Department of Public Safety policy, the trooper’s name will not be released for 72 hours after the shooting.
Troopers initially arrested Herrick on four outstanding warrants, McDaniel said.
According to court records, Herrick had warrants for failure to appear in court related to an October 2020 charge of disorderly conduct, March and July 2021 charges of violating conditions of release, an April charge of reckless endangerment and a July charge of resisting arrest.
