Flags at half staff Saturday to honor fallen Okaloosa County deputy

From Staff Reports
·2 min read
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Gov. Ron DeSantis ordered flags at half staff on Saturday in Crestview from sunrise to sunset in honor of Corporal Ray Hamilton, who was killed in the line of duty Christmas Eve.

Hamilton, a deputy with the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office, was responding to a domestic abuse call when he was shot and killed.

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"Corporal Hamilton will be remembered for his selfless courage to protect the lives of others at the cost of his own," DeSantis wrote in his order.

DeSantis ordered the U.S. and Florida flags half-staff at the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office in Crestview, Okaloosa County Courthouse in Crestview and City Hall of Crestview. Okaloosa County, however, will honor Hamilton by lowering the flags at all county-maintained buildings.

"Or deepest condolences go out to the family of Corporal Hamilton and the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office during this difficult time," wrote Okaloosa Commissioners Chairman-elect Trey Goodwin. "He will always be remembered for his service and sacrifice to the citizens of Okaloosa County. All residents of Okaloosa County should take a moment to reflect on the sacrifices of Corporal Hamilton and his fellow officers before him who also gave the ultimate sacrifice to keep us safe."

The county's Special Response Team responded Saturday afternoon to the North Park Boulevard townhome where Timothy Price-Williams had barricaded himself inside.

Holding a warrant for an arrest on the charge of battery, a crisis negotiation team communicated with Price-Williams from both outside the home and via cell phone, an arrest report said. He asserted that the deputies "had no right to show up at his residence" and warned officers "that the situation would 'turn into another Waco'" — a reference to a deadly 1993 standoff between a religious cult and federal agents.

After tear gas was utilized in an attempt to extract Price-Williams from the townhome, Price-Williams fired upon deputies and killed Hamilton, a 34-year-old deputy with just over a year's experience as an SRT member.

Court documents show the stand off began on the morning of Dec. 24 when a woman, listed as the owner of the townhome where Price-Williams was residing, called to report an altercation between herself and Price-Williams the night before, during which he had pushed her, broken items inside the residence and taken her cell phone. She wanted to file a restraining order.

This article originally appeared on Northwest Florida Daily News: Flags at half staff Saturday to honor fallen Okaloosa County deputy