Fla. deputy fatally shot responding to domestic violence call on Christmas Eve

By Police1 Staff

OKALOOSA COUNTY, Fla. — A Fla. sheriff's office deputy was fatally wounded on Christmas Eve when a domestic violence suspect opened fire on responding deputies from inside his residence.

Five-year Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office veteran Corporal Ray Hamilton, a member of the OCSO Special Response Team, succumbed to the shooting injury shortly after 3 p.m. on Dec. 24, according to a statement issued by OCSO. The suspect, 43-year-old Timothy Price-Williams, was hit with return fire from deputies, sustaining a non-life-threatening injury to his arm.

Deputies had been called to the residence in reference to a report of a domestic violence battery. The victim reported that the suspect had slapped her in the face and shoved her during an argument the night before, taking away her phone so she could not call 9-1-1 for help.

When deputies went to the scene to make contact with the suspect, he refused to come out of the residence. The OCSO Special Response Team was called in. Price-Williams continued to refuse to leave the home and then shot out a window striking Corporal Hamilton.

"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."