Article Originally Published Here.
Kendrick McFarland was shot while working security at a Carrs grocery store in September. Prosecutors reviewed surveillance video and determined they couldn’t disprove a self-defense claim.
What’s not debated is that Kendrick McFarland was shot while doing his job.
“Next thing I know, I was in the back of an ambulance with a bullet wound,” McFarland said about the shooting at the Aurora Village Carrs grocery store on Sept. 7, 2025.
Here’s what Anchorage police say happened:
“At 8:31 AM on September 7, 2025, officers responded to 1650 W Northern Lights Blvd for a reported shooting,” an APD dispatch report read. Upon arrival, officers located an adult male with a gunshot wound to the upper body.
“The investigation determined the shooting happened inside an entryway. The victim was transported to a hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries. The suspect was detained. Detectives have contacted everyone believed to be involved in this investigation and are not looking for anyone at this time. They believe this is an isolated incident and is no current public safety threat related to this incident.”
McFarland was a security officer at the Carrs grocery store off Minnesota Drive and Benson Boulevard.
In September, he spoke with Alaska’s News Source about the shooting.
He was hired as part of a program that checks receipts before shoppers leave the store. It’s part of an increased security measure seen across Anchorage aimed at catching shoplifters.
“The new program that we started as the security company was just checking the receipts on the way out as they came out with their products,” McFarland said at the time. “And that conversation led to the dispute.
“I don’t know when the gun got pulled. I was just trying to defend myself and I ended up grabbing the gun,” he went on to add.
McFarland said the bullet hit his stomach.
“I’m not Superman, you don’t pay me that much, you know,” McFarland said. “I’m just there to do my job and come back home and get ready for my second job.”
So, what’s happened since then? Some might assume an arrest of some type or charges to be filed.
But, that’s not the case in this shooting.
Under Alaska law, if someone claims self-defense, prosecutors must disprove that claim beyond a reasonable doubt to bring charges.
“In this matter, after thorough review of the video surveillance from the business, and interviews of witnesses on scene, it was determined that self-defense could not be disproven beyond a reasonable doubt, and no charges would be filed,” Patty Sullivan, Director of Communications at the State of Alaska Department of Law, wrote in an email.
Because the case raises questions about when self-defense applies and public safety, Alaska’s News Source has filed open records requests asking for the surveillance video, reports, and witness statements with the goal of finding out what that video actually shows.
Alaska’s News Source contacted the security company McFarland worked for and Carrs. Neither responded to requests.
The Alaska Department of Law handles felony cases in the state.
“I think I’m for sure retired from security,” McFarland said in September. “I don’t think that’s something I want to look into anymore.”
McFarland had agreed to an interview about the situation this month, but he later declined. He said he’s had insurance and medical problems since the shooting.
