Florida deputy fatally shot during Christmas Eve standoff in Panhandle
Cpl. Ray Hamilton (provided by Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office)
SHALIMAR, Fla. - A sheriff’s deputy in the Florida Panhandle was fatally shot Christmas Eve during a standoff with a suspect who was being served a warrant.
Timothy Price-Williams has been charged with premeditated first-degree murder in the killing Saturday of Cpl. Ray Hamilton in Fort Walton Beach.
Hamilton was setting up a perimeter around a townhouse that Price-Williams had refused to leave when shots were fired from inside the residence, striking the deputy, the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.
Hamilton was taken to a hospital where he died.
According to the sheriff’s office, deputies were trying to serve Price-Williams a warrant on a domestic violence charge but he refused to leave the home. The special response team from the sheriff’s office was called in to negotiate with the suspect to come out peacefully.
After Hamilton was shot, Price-Williams for some time refused to leave the home. When he eventually went outside, Price-Williams acted in a manner that "caused another deputy to fire on him," the sheriff’s office said. The suspect was wounded in his right arm.
Price-Williams was taken to a hospital for treatment. He was denied bond and remained in jail on Sunday. There was no online court docket yet for him, so it wasn’t known if he has an attorney.
"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," said Sheriff Eric Aden. "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 ."