Asia-Pacific

2 police officers fatally shot in Alaska village

(Agencies)
Updated: 2010-08-30 09:32

ANCHORAGE, Alaska – Two police officers were fatally shot in a tiny Native village in southeast Alaska and authorities were in a standoff Sunday with the suspect, local officials said.

This undated photo provided by the Hoonah Police Dept. shows officer Tony Wallace. Bob Prunella, acting city administrator for the village of Hoonah, says Wallace and fellow officer Matt Tokuoka died after a shooting late Saturday, Aug. 28, 2010. He said he doesn't know what led to the shooting. [Agencies]

Bob Prunella, acting Hoonah city administrator, said officers Tony Wallace and Matt Tokuoka died after the shooting late Saturday. He didn't know what led to the shooting.

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The suspect, 45-year-old John Marvin Jr., has barricaded himself in his home, and Alaska State Troopers and other law enforcement agencies are at the scene, authorities said.

Tokuoka's father-in-law, George Martin, said Tokuoka, 39, was off-duty and had left Martin's home with his wife and two children moments before the shooting.

Martin said he heard two shots, which were directed at Wallace, who was on-duty. The shots hit Wallace, Martin said.

Tokuoka told his wife and children to get away from the site, and then he was shot as well, Martin said.

"I imagine he was trying to administer help to this other officer when he got hit," he said.

Wallace, 32, died during surgery in Juneau, 40 miles to the east, and Tokuoka died early Sunday at a village clinic, according to Martin.

"The whole town's in shock," he said. "I've been getting calls all day. It's a bad situation."

Martin said his home is just a block and a half from Marvin's. He didn't know why the officers were ambushed but said police have had run-ins with Marvin in the past. He said Marvin lives alone.

Alaska State Troopers were leading a multi-agency response, and spokeswoman Megan Peters said a warrant was issued for Marvin's arrest.

Troopers were urging residents in the community of about 800 to stay away from the area.

Prunella said the deaths leave the Tlingit village with just one officer. He said the southeast Alaska town of Wrangell is sending some officers to help.

According to the law enforcement networking website http://www.usacops.com, Wallace had been with the Hoonah Police Department since 2008. He is from upstate New York and was a college wrestler. Wallace served as the small department's evidence officer, and was recently designated as a breath-test maintenance technician.

The site says Tokuoka was a former Marine Corps staff sergeant who served in special operations.

The Hawaii native has been with the department since spring 2009.