John Marvin Jr., the man Alaska State Troopers say shot and killed two Hoonah police officers in an ambush-style slaying late Saturday night, has surrendered. Marvin, 45, was taken into custody around 9:30 a.m. Monday morning and charged with two counts of murder, according to a press release from AST.
For reasons unknown at this time, Sgt. Anthony Wallace and Ofc. Matthew Tokuoka of the Hoonah Police Dept. were shot at as they chatted along a city street. Tokuoka was off duty at the time and had his wife and children with him in his car as the violence began, according to The Associated Press.
The slain officers had at least one prior run-in with Marvin, according to the Juneau Empire. In an interview with Tokuaka's father-in-law, George Martin, Martin speaks how about one year ago the officers had to use a stun gun to subdue Marvin after he was carrying an unloaded rifle through town and threatening people with it.
AST credits the negotiation efforts of its Special Emergency Reaction Team with Marvin's successful surrender. Residents in the small community are struggling to make sense of the killings. AST is sending two chaplains to the village to offer grief and stress counseling.