Officer slain on 1st shift to be laid to rest

“When you talk about her commitment to service, certainly we can all draw a pretty good idea of the content of her character and the things she could offer, if she had opportunity to do so”, Doyle said.

Charnita Allen, who lives down the street, said Hamilton’s son was close with her own 10-year-old son and frequently played at their house.

He allegedly shot each of the officers – the other two are still in critical condition.

“It’s the worst nightmare that could happen to any police officer and her family”, Guindon’s former professor, Chris Bonner, who is a former Federal Bureau of Investigation special agent, said, according to the Post.

“[It takes] passion to do this job”.

“She couldn’t get it out of her blood”, Hudson said. She briefly served as a county police officer previous year but left for personal reasons during training, Police Chief Steve Hudson said.

“This is a sad day for everybody in this room”.

In the wake of the fatal string of shootings, the National Fraternal Order of Police has sought to reignite its campaign to expand federal hate crimes laws so that attacks targeting law enforcement officers could be prosecuted as such.

Ronald Williams Hamilton, aged 32, is the main suspect in the case.

Police in Merrimack, New Hampshire, tell Necn they were contacted by authorities in Virginia Saturday night and notified family members of Guindon’s death. Now, police departments across the country are sharing their condolences.

Guindon had also served in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve for six years, Hudson said.

On Sunday night, a vigil was held at the county complex honoring Officer Guindon. Her body was taken to Mountcastle Funeral Home on Sunday afternoon. Ebert did not know if one or both were used in the shooting, but he said they were not US military weapons. A kid who gives her life to community service only to have it taken away the very first day.

“At Merrimack High School, we have a motto: ‘Believe, go forward and inspire.’ And we would like to believe that not only did Ashley embrace that motto, but she personified it as well”, said Johnson.

A funeral for Guindon is scheduled for Tuesday at Hylton Memorial Chapel in Woodbridge, but police have already begun honoring her death.

Officers received a call around 5.30pm Woodbridge, about 30 miles southwest of the nation’s capital, about a ‘verbal argument, ‘ Perok said.

The flag outside of the Merrimack Police Department has been lowered at half-staff as a tribute to Guindon. A black drape was placed across the entrance to the department’s headquarters early Sunday morning. The family has asked for privacy at this time.

After the hearing, Ebert said it had been a hard couple days for the Prince William County police department. She rejoined the department this year, and Saturday was her first day on patrol.

Officer Guindon’s death is the Prince William County’s fourth line of duty death since its inception in 1970, and only the second time an officer has been slain maliciously.