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Ambler man takes own life in jail after allegedly shooting at village safety officer

July 6th 2:29 pm | Hannah Heimbuch Print this article   Email this article   Create a Shortlink for this article

An Ambler man was found dead in his holding cell last Thursday after being arrested for shooting at a village public safety officer. According to initial reports by the Alaska State Troopers, William Greist, Jr., 27, took his own life while being held at the Ambler jail.

Troopers received a report from Ambler during Thursday's early morning hours, saying Greist had fired a high-powered rifle at the Ambler VPSO. Following that incident, the officer was able to take Greist into custody and transport him to the Ambler holding facility.

Later that day, Greist's body was found.

As a result of that morning's conflict, Greist was facing multiple charges, including attempted homicide on an officer, weapons offenses and multiple assault charges.

Greist was on felony probation at the time of Thursday's events. The three-year probation was ordered after a fourth-degree domestic violence assault conviction, originating from an offence in early September last year.

Most recently, Greist was found guilty of misdemeanor criminal mischief, stemming from a June 8 offense.

Next of kin was notified of Greist's passing, and his body was transported to the State Medical Examiner's Office in Anchorage for an autopsy.

This is the second suicide relating to gun violence toward officers that the Northwest Arctic experienced during the month of June.

Less than two weeks prior, Kotzebue resident Arvid Nelson, Jr., 50, took his own life several hours after firing a gun at two troopers from his vehicle on Ted Stevens Way.

Both cases are currently under investigation by the Alaska State Troopers.

Hannah Heimbuch can be reached at hheimbuch@reportalaska.com.

 

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