State police charged a Chambersburg man with first-degree murder and stalking after the Hamilton Township shooting.
HAMILTON TOWNSHIP, PA — A 44-year-old Chambersburg man was shot and killed Friday in Franklin County after he had alerted state police to a suspicious person near a home on Lincoln Way West, Pennsylvania State Police said.
Troopers identified the victim as Thomas James Walter-Thompson. Investigators said he was found with multiple gunshot wounds after police were sent to the 800 block of Lincoln Way West in Hamilton Township. Sage Sebastian Morrison, 28, of Chambersburg, was arrested in the case and charged with first-degree murder and stalking. State police said the shooting grew out of a personal matter, and they said there was no further threat to the public.
State police said troopers were dispatched around 12:42 p.m. Friday for a report of a suspicious person. While troopers were responding, police received more information that a man wearing camouflage was shooting and had fled the area in a red van. When troopers arrived, they found Walter-Thompson dead at the scene. Investigators later determined that Walter-Thompson had been the original caller who contacted state police before the shooting unfolded. A witness in the shopping center area, Scott Turner, said he saw a vehicle leave quickly before police arrived. “A guy came out in a black van accelerated flying through here,” Turner said, adding that another person reported a license number to state police.
The shooting was reported near 875 Lincoln Way West, in an area with businesses and a parking lot. Police taped off the back part of the lot as investigators worked at the scene. A dark green minivan was towed from the area, according to a local report from the scene. State police said Morrison went to Walter-Thompson’s home to confront him about a personal matter. Walter-Thompson was not there at first, investigators said, but he arrived as Morrison was starting to leave. Police said Morrison then shot Walter-Thompson multiple times and left the area. State police did not release more details about the personal matter, the type of firearm used or whether any weapon was recovered.
Witness interviews and other investigative steps led troopers to identify Morrison as a person of interest, state police said. He was taken into custody at his residence. The Franklin County District Attorney’s Office approved charges of first-degree murder and stalking, and Morrison was placed in Franklin County Prison. Court dates and attorney information were not immediately clear from the initial reports. The investigation remains active through Pennsylvania State Police in Chambersburg. Troopers have asked anyone with information about the shooting to contact the barracks as investigators continue reviewing the timeline, witness accounts and evidence from the scene.
The killing drew attention because Walter-Thompson had contacted police before he was shot. That detail made the case stand out from a routine shooting response and placed the first call for help at the center of the investigation. State police have not said how much time passed between Walter-Thompson’s call and the gunfire. They also have not said whether Walter-Thompson and Morrison knew each other beyond the reported personal matter. The scene was in Hamilton Township, just west of Chambersburg, along a busy commercial stretch of Lincoln Way West. The road runs through part of Franklin County where homes, small businesses and shopping areas sit close together.
People who knew Walter-Thompson described his death as sudden and hard to understand. One friend said a nearby shop worker told them to check on Walter-Thompson after the shooting. The friend said Walter-Thompson had been living nearby in a camper and had been planning to leave the area to live on the road. “I can hold him close to my heart,” the friend said. “Because he was a good dude.” The friend said Walter-Thompson was not someone they knew to threaten people. Turner said police arrived quickly after the fleeing vehicle was reported, with cruisers and detectives coming into the area within minutes.
Morrison remained in Franklin County Prison as of the latest public update Saturday. State police said the case remains under investigation, with the next steps expected to include continued evidence review and court proceedings on the murder and stalking charges.
Author note: Last updated May 2, 2026.