Virginia cop Ashley Guindon shot dead first day on her job; suspect identified as Pentagon Staff Sergeant Ronald Hamilton

A 28-year-old US police officer identified as Ashley Guindon has been fatally shot on her first day on the job after responding to a domestic violence incident at the Woodbridge-Lake Ridge area in Virginia, USA.

The man accused of killing Guindon is identified as an active-duty Army staff sergeant based at the Pentagon. Ronald Hamilton, 32, is now being held without bail on charges of capital murder of a police officer, first degree murder of his wife, two counts of malicious wounding of an officer, and assault with a fire arm.

According to Prince William County Police Department chief, Steve Hudson, Hamilton and his wife were “involved in a domestic altercation for some period of time that day”.

“The wife was able to contact the police, however before our arrival, she was shot and killed allegedly by the accused.”

When Officer Guindon responded to the call with two other veteran county officers, all three were shot at and sustained critical wounds. They were flown to Fairfax INOVA Hospital, where Guindon died as a result of her injuries.

The other two officers, identified as David McKeown, 33, and Jesse Hempen, 31, remain hospitalised.

“The police department is in very deep mourning over the loss of Officer Ashley Guindon last night,” Hudson said in a press conference.

“Our thoughts remain with the other two officers who remain in the hospital today.”

Hamilton was arrested shortly after the shooting started when additional officers arrived at the scene. A search of the home led law enforcement officials to find the body of 29-year-old Crystal Hamilton, a 11-year-old boy who was unharmed, and two guns.

Prince William County Commonwealth Attorney Paul Ebert says Hamilton could now face the death penalty. Capital punishment is still legal in the US State of Virginia.

The 32-year-old army sergeant is the son of a retired police officer, who told the Washington Post that his son had a “very good upbringing” and joined the Army when he was 18. One of the accused’s neighbours also told AP that Hamilton was a “nice guy”.

“We are grieving the same as all the people in Prince William County, as well as the law enforcement community across the United States,” the elder Hamilton said.

“Ronald has always been a calm person and a very friendly person. He had a bright future with the Army and military. We express our thoughts and condolences to everyone who is affected.”

Officer Guindon had served in the US Marine Corps Reserve as a Field Radio Operator and in various aeronautical capacities after leaving high school, and later attended Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, graduating in 2011 with an undergraduate degree in Aeronautical Science. She later joined and graduated from the police academy in 2015.

She was rehired in 2016, with a tweet by the Prince William County PD revealing that Guindon was sworn in on Friday local time, just one day before her first day of patrol work.

It has also been revealed by the AP that Guindon’s father had committed suicide just a day after returning from Iraq, where he served with the New Hampshire Air National Guard. He was buried with full military honours in 2004. A bio released by the Prince William County PD showed that her father's death had affected her, and she "volunteered extensively with the Suicide Prevention Program".

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.

Details of Guindon’s funeral arrangements, as well as how donations can be made to her family, can be found on the Prince William County PD’s Twitter page and website.