Officer Ashley Guindon of the Prince William County police department in Virginia, was shot and killed on her first day of active duty Saturday after responding to a domestic disturbance call. Guindon was sworn in to the department on Friday.
According to The Washington Post, two other officers were injured in the Woodbridge-Lake Ridge area after being shot by the suspect, identified by the Prince William County jail as Ronald Hamilton. Hamilton, an active duty Army staff sergeant based at the Pentagon, faces six charges and is be held without bail. He will be arraigned on Monday morning.
As per The Post, Hamilton shot and killed his wife then began shooting at Guindon and the other two officers as they approached the door, according to Prince William County Commonwealth’s Attorney Paul Ebert. There was also a child in the house at the time of the incident.
Guindon served in the U.S. Marine Corps prior to becoming a police office and held the rank of corporal, as per The Post. She also worked at a funeral home in Alexandria, Va., and had expressed interest in becoming a medical examiner.
The Prince William County PD had tweeted out a photo of Guindon after her swearing in on Friday, urging her and another new officer to “be safe.”
Welcome Officers Steven Kendall & Ashley Guindon who were sworn in today & begin their shifts this weekend.Be safe! pic.twitter.com/92c2YLjcQx
— Prince William County Police Department (@PWCPolice) February 26, 2016
(Via The Washington Post, BBC.com)