Authorities said Phillip Phillips displayed a handgun after fleeing his child sex abuse trial and refusing to surrender near Whittier.
WHITTIER, Alaska — Two law enforcement officers fatally shot a 58-year-old man aboard an anchored sailboat after authorities said he fled a child sex abuse trial, refused to surrender and pointed a handgun toward officers.
Phillip T. Phillips was killed July 9 in waters near Whittier, hours after a Palmer jury convicted him of first- and second-degree sexual abuse of a minor and harassment. The convictions arose from offenses committed in 2020 against a boy who was 12 at the time, according to the Alaska Department of Law.
Alaska State Troopers said Phillips had failed to return to court after jury selection and left Whittier aboard a sailboat. Authorities located him at about 8:07 p.m. on a boat anchored in the Whittier area. Alaska State Troopers, Alaska Wildlife Troopers and members of the state troopers’ SWAT team took part in the operation.
Troopers said Phillips was armed with a handgun and would not cooperate during negotiations for his surrender. Officers used less-lethal equipment and chemical agents, but Phillips continued to resist, according to the Department of Public Safety’s account. Authorities said he put on ballistic body armor and a gas mask after the chemical agents were deployed.
Phillips then displayed the handgun in the direction of officers, prompting two members of the tactical team to fire, troopers said. Phillips was pronounced dead at the scene. No officers were injured.
The Department of Public Safety identified the officers who fired as Alaska State Troopers Sgt. Matthew Sidders, a 14-year department veteran, and Wasilla police Sgt. David Burtch, an 11-year veteran of his department. Both were placed on seven days of administrative leave under department policy.
The Alaska Bureau of Investigation is investigating the shooting. Its findings will be sent to the Alaska Office of Special Prosecutions for review, a standard step used to determine whether an officer’s use of deadly force was legally justified. Officials had not announced the outcome of that review as of Thursday.
Phillips’ criminal trial began earlier that week. Prosecutors said he dismissed his attorney on the first morning and chose to represent himself. He did not return after a jury had been selected, leading the court to issue a warrant for his arrest.
Investigators later learned that Phillips had sold his house earlier in June and sold his truck during the week before the trial, according to the Department of Law. He also had purchased a satellite phone with an international service plan, bought supplies for a trip and told people he intended to leave Alaska, authorities said.
His electronic monitoring device stopped transmitting early July 7. Based on the evidence, the court determined that Phillips had intentionally left and had given up his right to attend the proceedings, prosecutors said. The judge allowed the three-day trial to continue without him because of the age of the case and the finding that he had deliberately fled.
The jury convicted Phillips on all three counts. Before his death, prosecutors said he faced an estimated prison sentence of 25 to 35 years if captured and sentenced. The case had been investigated by the Alaska State Troopers Crimes Against Children Unit.
Phillips’ body was taken to the State Medical Examiner’s Office for an autopsy, and his relatives were notified. The criminal case ended with his death, while the independent review of the officers’ actions remained pending.
Author note: Last updated July 16, 2026.