Okaloosa County Sheriff's deputy killed in shooting near Fort Walton Beach
An Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office corporal suffered fatal injuries on Christmas Eve after being shot while responding to a domestic violence incident on North Park Boulevard near the Green Acres Road neighborhood.
Five year OCSO veteran Cpl. Ray Hamilton, a member of the OCSO Special Response Team, succumbed to the shooting injury shortly after 3 p.m. yesterday at Fort Walton Beach-Destin Hospital. The suspect, 43-year old Timothy Price-Williams, was hit with return fire from deputies, sustaining an injury to the arm that was not life threatening.
"We are devastated by the grief of losing Corporal Hamilton, a deputy who was a ray of sunshine in the OCSO, dedicated to protecting others," Sheriff Eric Aden said in a statement. "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."
Deputies had been called to the townhome in the 700 block of North Park Boulevard in reference to a report of a domestic violence battery. The victim reported Saturday morning that Price-Williams had slapped her in the face and shoved her during an argument the night before, taking away her phone so she could not call 911 for help, according to an OCSO news release.
When deputies went to the scene around 9 a.m. to make contact with Price-Williams, he refused to come out of the residence, the release said. The OCSO Special Response Team was called in. Price-Williams continued to refuse to leave the home, and then shot out a window around 12:40 p.m., striking Hamilton.
Hamilton was rushed to the hospital for treatment, but could not be saved, according to an OCSO Facebook post following the shooting.
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"We ask for your prayers tonight for our deputy, his family, and all of us at the OCSO as we work to comprehend this tragedy," an OCSO Facebook post said, noting that Sheriff Aden and the command staff went to see Hamilton's family following the incident.
The OCSO deputy shot Saturday is the fifth killed in line of duty.
Sept. 22, 2015: Deputy Sheriff William J. Myers was shot and killed while serving a domestic violence injunction at a local attorney's office on Plew Avenue in Shalimar. He was killed from behind while walking away from the suspect after serving him the papers.
April 25, 2009: Deputies Warren “Skip” York and Burt Lopez were shot and killed at the Shoal River Gun Club in Crestview. York and Lopez were killed when Josh Cartwright opened fired on them as they attempted to take him into custody on a domestic violence warrant.
July 22, 2008: Deputy Anthony Forgione was shot and killed by a man who had left Fort Walton Beach Medical Center twice while detained under the state’s Baker Act. Following his death, the state Legislature approved the Forgione Act, which strengthened procedures regarding the care of Baker Act patients across Florida.
This article originally appeared on Northwest Florida Daily News: Okaloosa County Sheriff's deputy shot and killed on Christmas Eve
