Bio & Incident Details
Age: 32
Tour: 4 years
Badge # 102
Cause: Gunfire
Incident Date: 8/28/2010
Weapon: Rifle
Suspect: Apprehended
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Sergeant Anthony Wallace and Officer Matthew Tokuoka were ambushed and killed by a lone gunman.
Officer Tokuoka, who was off-duty, was in his car with his family when he stopped to talk to Sergeant Wallace who was standing outside his vehicle. Sergeant Wallace's mother was visiting him in Alaska and was accompanying him on a ride along at the time.
A man who the two officers had arrested on several occasions in the past opened fire on Sergeant Wallace from a concealed position nearby, striking Sergeant Wallace in the leg and chest, penetrating his vest.
Officer Tokuoka was able to radio in a brief situation report and then attempted to drag Sergeant Wallace to cover when he was shot twice in the chest.
Although he was mortally wounded, Sergeant Wallace was able to warn responding officers and rescue personnel of the shooter's location.
Officer Tokuoka died early Sunday at a clinic in Hoonah and Sergeant Wallace died during surgery in Juneau.
The suspect fled to his house and barricaded himself inside while approximately 100 officers, including SWAT teams from the Alaska State Troopers and the Juneau Police Department, responded to the scene. The suspect surrendered to officers after remaining barricaded for two days, but n January of 2012 an Alaska superior court judge ruled that the suspect was not mentally competent to stand trial.
Sergeant Anthony Wallace, who was legally deaf, had served for the Hoonah Police Department for four years. He had previously served as a non-sworn public safety officer with the Rochester Institute of Technology in New York. He is survived by his mother and daughter, father and step-mother, three brothers, and grandmother.
The badge numbers of Sergeant Wallace and Officer Tokuoka were retired following their murders. The Hoonah City Council proclaimed the memorial service day for both officers, September 8th, as Anthony Wallace and Matthew Tokuoka Day.
In April of 2011, Sergeant Wallace was posthumously awarded the Police Medal of Heroism by the Governor of Alaska.
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