08-29-2010, 10:51 PM
2 Alaskan Officers shot and killed saturday night. standoff with gunman continues. the little town had only 3 police officers.
Two police officers killed in Hoonah
August 29th, 2010
Two Hoonah police officers were ambushed, shot and killed Saturday night by a suspect who on Sunday afternoon was still barricaded in his home on Front Street in the Southeast Alaska community of about 800 people, according to Alaska State Troopers.
The wife and young children of the one of the officers witnessed the violence as it began, as did the mother of the other officer, said interim city administrator Bob Prunella.
On Sunday afternoon, law enforcement officers were evacuating nearby homes on Front Street, city officials said.
Alaska State Troopers sent heavily-equipped officers from Special Emergency Response Teams to Hoonah from their home bases around the state. SERT is the trooper tactical team, like SWAT. Area patrol troopers, wildlife troopers and the Juneau Police Department's tactical team all descended on Hoonah as well. The U.S. Coast Guard helped get officers to Hoonah.
Troopers identified the officers killed as Matthew Tokuoka, 39, and Sgt. Anthony Wallace, 32.
Troopers say they are trying to resolve the situation peacefully and say the suspect is barricaded and contained. They identified him as Hoonah resident John Marvin Jr., 45.
Tokuoka was off duty, Martin said. He was in his car with his wife, Haley, their 6-year-old son and their 2-year-old daughter. They stopped to talk to Wallace, the officer on duty, who was standing outside the vehicle. Wallace's mother, a nurse who was visiting from Florida, was nearby and saw her son shot, Prunella said.
“Everything in Hoonah is shut down. Nobody is moving. All the stores are closed. Nothing is happening. Cops just don't want anybody on the streets or anything,” said Knehr.
"We're very hopeful that it will end without having further tragedy. We don't want anything to happen to the person that's inside the residence. We don't want anything to happen to people in the community,” Wilson said.
The shooting leaves the small community of around 800 with only one police officer, Chief John Millan.
Two police officers killed in Hoonah
August 29th, 2010
Two Hoonah police officers were ambushed, shot and killed Saturday night by a suspect who on Sunday afternoon was still barricaded in his home on Front Street in the Southeast Alaska community of about 800 people, according to Alaska State Troopers.
The wife and young children of the one of the officers witnessed the violence as it began, as did the mother of the other officer, said interim city administrator Bob Prunella.
On Sunday afternoon, law enforcement officers were evacuating nearby homes on Front Street, city officials said.
Alaska State Troopers sent heavily-equipped officers from Special Emergency Response Teams to Hoonah from their home bases around the state. SERT is the trooper tactical team, like SWAT. Area patrol troopers, wildlife troopers and the Juneau Police Department's tactical team all descended on Hoonah as well. The U.S. Coast Guard helped get officers to Hoonah.
Troopers identified the officers killed as Matthew Tokuoka, 39, and Sgt. Anthony Wallace, 32.
Troopers say they are trying to resolve the situation peacefully and say the suspect is barricaded and contained. They identified him as Hoonah resident John Marvin Jr., 45.
Tokuoka was off duty, Martin said. He was in his car with his wife, Haley, their 6-year-old son and their 2-year-old daughter. They stopped to talk to Wallace, the officer on duty, who was standing outside the vehicle. Wallace's mother, a nurse who was visiting from Florida, was nearby and saw her son shot, Prunella said.
“Everything in Hoonah is shut down. Nobody is moving. All the stores are closed. Nothing is happening. Cops just don't want anybody on the streets or anything,” said Knehr.
"We're very hopeful that it will end without having further tragedy. We don't want anything to happen to the person that's inside the residence. We don't want anything to happen to people in the community,” Wilson said.
The shooting leaves the small community of around 800 with only one police officer, Chief John Millan.