Global News

Monday August 30, 2010

Posted at: 08/29/2010 9:01 PM

An RIT/NTID graduate was shot and killed late Saturday in a standoff in Alaska. Tony Wallace, 32 was a police officer in the village of Hoonah. He was an officer there since 2008.

Authorities say Wallace and fellow police officer Matt Tokuoka were confronted by a lone gunman Saturday night. Wallace died during surgery in Juneau, and Tokuoka died early Sunday at a village clinic.

Wallace served as the small department's evidence officer, and was recently designated as a breath-test maintenance technician.

Alaska State Troopers are leading a multi-agency response. the suspect, 45-year-old John Marvin Jr., has barricaded himself in his home. Alaska State Troopers and other law enforcement agencies are at the scene. Residents in the community of about 800 to stay away from the area.

RIT President Bill Destler released the following statement:

"On behalf of the RIT community, I extend condolences to Tony's family, friends and colleagues. we recognize that his passing creates a void that cannot be filled, but we hope there is comfort in an outpouring of support. Efforts are underway to plan a memorial service to be held on campus, and details on that will be shared as soon as we have them."

Wallace, who was hard-of-hearing, proved remarkable at many levels. After graduating in 2003 with a degree in business administration, he joined the staff of RIT Public Safety. He later went on to attend the police academy and graduate as class valedictorian. He was also an accomplished athlete. an All-American wrestler during his student days, he would become a 2008 inductee to the RIT Athletic Hall of Fame.

During an interview last year with RIT University News, Wallace expressed hope that his accomplishments could serve as an inspiration for others. "I hope that people who are in the same situation as I am see my story and begin to believe that if you put your mind to something, you can achieve it," he said. "Anything and everything is possible, it's just a matter of how bad you want it and how far you are willing to go to prove to people that you are worthy of whatever career you want to pursue."