Officer who shot knife-wielding man named by Bethel police The Bethel Police Department released the name of the officer involved in last Wednesday’s officer-involved shooting. According to Police Chief James Harris, Patrol Officer Ceaira Preuett shot and injured a man who approached her with a knife. A preliminary investigation by Alaska State Troopers indicated a man had been taken to the Bethel Hospital on Tuesday night after standing in the roadway and refusing to move onto the sidewalk. states that officers approached the man a second time, at which point he produced a knife and refused multiple commands to drop it. The man was medevaced to an Anchorage-area hospital for treatment of serious injuries. As of Friday, the man remained hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries and has not been charged with any crimes at this time, according to a troopers spokesperson. Preuett is a recent graduate of the Law Enforcement Academy at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. According to Harris, she joined Bethel’s Police Department in January 2025. Harris says Preuett is completing her psychological evaluation, as is required after an officer-involved shooting. She will remain on administrative leave pending the results of the investigation. The Alaska Bureau of Investigation’s Western Alaska Major Crimes Unit has assumed case responsibility. Once its investigation is complete, it will be independently reviewed by the Alaska Office of Special Prosecutions.Restoring a rare piece of Alaska aviation history