A Florida sheriff’s deputy was fatally shot Christmas Eve while he was responding to a domestic violence assault.
Cpl. Ray Hamilton was hit by a hail of bullets when Timothy Price-Williams, 43, opened fire. The sheriff deputy, who was with the special force team was there to try to negotiate with the suspect peacefully and present him with a warrant for a domestic-violence battery charge.
Prince-Williams refused to leave and barricaded himself inside his townhouse – located on North Park Boulevard in Wright, Florida – firing several shots through the window. Hamilton was hit during the exchange of gunfire on Saturday afternoon around 12:40pm when he entered an area behind the backyard fence, the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.
The officer was rushed to Destin Hospital in Fort Walton Beach but later succumbed to his wounds and died around 3pm. The suspect was still inside the home and refused to exit, but once he did eventually leave the premises, his actions caused another deputy to fire at him, striking the suspect’s right arm.
The cop killer was taken to a hospital for his injury before he was locked up and charged with premeditated first-degree murder in the killing of the officer Hamilton. He was denied bond.
Cpl. Ray Hamilton with the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office, was a five-year veteran on the force and served on the Special Response Team died from injuries he sustained in the Christmas Eve shootout
Cop killer Timothy Price-Williams was charged with premeditated first-degree murder in the killing of the officer Hamilton and denied bond
The department said the Special been responding to a call from the victim who reported Saturday morning that Price-Williams had slapped her in the face and shoved her during an argument the night before.
The victim said that he also took away her phone so she could not call 911 for help, according to an OCSO news release.
Hamilton was a five-year veteran, who served on the Special Response Team and received countless awards for his service.
Okaloosa County Sheriff Eric Aden said in a Facebook post that the grief from losing Hamilton is devastating. He called Hamilton a ‘ray of sunshine’ who was ‘dedicated to protecting others.’
‘We appreciate the endless stream of words of support that have come in for his family and his co-workers as we face this heartbreaking loss of a profoundly loved and respected friend, public servant, and hero,’ Aden said.
Hamilton’s death makes him the 61st officer killed by gunfire in 2022, The New York Post reported.
Hamilton was hit during the exchange of gunfire on Saturday afternoon around 12:40pm when he entered an area behind the backyard fence, the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office said
Posted Dec. 12, 2019 by the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office: LIFE SAVING AWARD PRESENTED TO OCSO DEPUTY SHERIFF RAY HAMILTON! On November 16th, Deputy Hamilton (shown at left) responded to a report of a suicide in Destin. A female had exited her window and climbed on the roof threatening to jump. Deputy Hamilton was the first to arrive and made contact with the female who was in an obvious state of emotional distress
September 19, 2022 post by the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office reads: A super-sized congratulations is going out to Deputy Ray Hamilton (shown at right) for his five years of service to the citizens of Okaloosa County! Certificate presented by Sgt. Joe Trimboli #welldone