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Christopher Tkal

Age : 57

Gender : Male

Race : White

Date : 02/20/2022

Location : County Rd

City : Walpole

County : Cheshire

State : New Hampshire

Agency : New Hampshire State Police

Officer(s) :Noah Sanctuary

Cause of Death : Gunshot

Event : Killed by police during domestic violence call

OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :

On 02/20/2022, New Hampshire State Police responded just before 11:30 p.m. to a reported domestic violence incident at a residence on County Road in Walpole. Troopers arrived and made contact with occupants outside the home while Christopher Tkal, 57, remained inside as the sole resident still in the residence. Troopers then conducted an interior encounter with Tkal inside the home environment rather than a public or outdoor contact. During that encounter, investigators determined Tkal had a rifle. According to the New Hampshire Attorney General’s report, Tkal turned toward troopers and raised the rifle in their direction at close range. Trooper Noah Sanctuary, positioned inside the residence and exposed to the firearm threat, discharged his weapon. Sanctuary was the only officer who fired. Tkal was struck multiple times and pronounced dead at the scene. A loaded rifle was later located underneath his body. The autopsy documented multiple gunshot wounds, including wounds to the head, face, arm, and upper back, and toxicology showed a blood alcohol level of 0.165.
Investigative review concluded the shooting was legally justified and no criminal charges were filed against Sanctuary. He was placed on leave pending review and later cleared following the Attorney General’s investigation. Notably, Sanctuary had previously been involved as one of six SWAT troopers in the 2021 fatal shooting of Jeffrey Ely in Claremont, which was also ruled justified. The Walpole incident involved no body camera footage, as responding troopers were not equipped with body or cruiser cameras at the scene, limiting independent visual reconstruction of the final seconds of the encounter. The case remained largely procedural in public response, with limited documented protest activity compared to other domestic-call police shootings.

SOURCE LINKS :

https://www.wmur.com/article/officer-involved-shooting-in-walpole-nh-leaves-one-dead/39152053
https://www.concordmonitor.com/AG-Man-dies-of-multiple-gunshot-wounds-in-police-encounter-in-Walpole-45202531
https://indepthnh.org/2022/03/16/trooper-involved-in-fatal-walpole-shooting-also-involved-in-shooting-last-year/
https://www.boston25news.com/news/local/ag-man-dies-following-officer-involved-shooting-walpole-nh/6UJYN542XZFZPEI43X2QWNDZN4/
https://www.doj.nh.gov/resources/press-releases/disclosure-name-new-hampshire-state-police-trooper-involved-shooting