Marine Corps Base Quantico -- Prince William County Police Officer Ashley M. Guindon was only 29 when she was gunned down in Woodbridge Saturday night as she and two other officers responded to a domestic dispute call.
Guindon had been on the police force two days. She was sworn in the day before. It was her first call.
As a corporal in the Marine Corps Reserve, Guindon was a field radio operator and personnel retrieval and processing specialist with the 4th Marine Logistics Group. She was assigned to the Marine Corps Reserve unit in Anacostia.
Officer Guindon was born in Springfield, Mass., and attended Merrimack High School in New Hampshire. She then attended Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida, graduating in 2011 with a degree in aeronautics.
During the tragic shooting Saturday night, two other Prince William County officers were shot. They are identified as Jesse Hempen, 31, an eight-year veteran of the department; and David McKeown, 33, a 10-year veteran. They are expected to recover.
According to Fox 5: “32-year-old Ronald Hamilton is accused of shooting and killing Officer Ashley Guindon after she answered a domestic violence call at the Hamilton home Saturday evening.
“Hamilton is an active duty Army staff sergeant assigned to the Joint Staff Support Center at the Pentagon, according to Cindy Your, a Defense Information Systems Agency spokeswoman based at Fort Meade, Maryland.
“The shooting occurred Saturday evening at Hamilton’s home in Woodbridge. Prince William County Police Chief Stephan M. Hudson said Hamilton and his wife, Crystal, were arguing when she called 911.
“Crystal Hamilton, 29, was also fatally shot by her husband before police arrived, Hudson said. The officers were shot shortly after their arrival. When additional officers arrived, Hamilton surrendered and came out the front door of the house.”
Ms. Hamilton was a civilian contractor providing support services to the Wounded Warrior Regiment at Marine Corps Base Quantico for the past three years.
Police said their 11-year-old son was at home at the time of the shootings. Police recovered two guns from the scene: a handgun and a rifle.
“As with the death of Officer Guindon, when we lose a fellow member of law enforcement — particularly in a line of duty related incident, I believe the reaction is particularly more poignant in this profession than most. Perhaps this has partly to do with the general feeling that ‘this could happen to anyone of us.’ It is a shocking and deeply painful reminder of the dangers that law enforcement officers collectively accept each day,” said Maj. Justin Powell, Marine Corps Base Quantico Provost Marshall.
“Much like a military unit, camaraderie is highly prevalent throughout the law enforcement community because of the shared exposure to high risk, grave danger, and emotionally challenging events. Consequently, a tight-knit family experience develops because of the need to lean on each other continually, and when an officer is killed in the line of duty, the impact can be particularly devastating. However, when this happens, the law enforcement ‘family’ comes together like few other professions. When we lose someone so suddenly, the sobering reality that ‘this could happen to anyone, at any time’ offers us a time to reflect upon this chosen profession, remember the fallen, share stories about his or her life, and then honor our fallen comrade’s sacrifice by recommitting our collective efforts to serve and protect the community so many have died for,” Powell said.
According to Powell, responding to a domestic violence call is statistically one of the most dangerous calls for a law enforcement officer.
“Domestic incidents often involve extreme unpredictability and explosive volatility in which even the calmest person can erupt emotionally and do things they wouldn’t dream of doing under normal, non-stressful circumstances. Oftentimes, the situation is exacerbated by alcohol or drugs and emotions are charged by highly stressful common issues involving finances, restraining orders, or child custody issues, he said.
“When a law enforcement officer is added to this mixture, and with the fear of impending incarceration or added financial burden of future court proceedings, the officer’s presence can be the activating ingredient to a highly explosive cocktail,” Powell said. “This is why law enforcement officers take these calls very seriously, respond to them as a team, and are trained extensively to remain calm and gain control in an orderly manner.”
Funeral services were held for Officer Guindon Tuesday. Marines and civilian police officers from Security Battalion and Marines from the Ceremonial Platoon attended the service. Marines from Officer Guindon’s Marine Corps Reserve Unit in Anacostia were also in attendance.
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