WOODBRIDGE, Va. - Two lives were lost in a tragic shooting at a Woodbridge, Virginia home on Saturday night, and one of them was the suspect's own wife. Crystal Hamilton called 911 while she and her husband were arguing in the house, but investigators say he allegedly shot and killed her before the officers, who would become victims themselves, could even arrive.
Ronald Williams Hamilton, a 32-year-old Army staff sergeant assigned to the Pentagon, is accused of pulling the trigger and murdering his 29-year-old wife. When officers arrived at the home on Lashmere Court, Hamilton allegedly shot three officers who responded to the domestic violence call. One of them was rookie Officer Ashley Guindon, who died of her injuries. Guindon was on her first shift as a police officer, having been sworn in just a day earlier.
According to police, the couple's 11-year-old son was also home at the time the shootings took place. He's currently being cared for by relatives.
On Sunday, a memorial of flowers and photos honoring Crystal Hamilton grew outside their home. On a poster nailed to a tree, someone had written "Crystal Hamilton, God's new angel."
According to InsideNOVA.com, Crystal Hamilton was supposed to be out with girlfriends on Saturday night, but when she never showed, they became concerned-- not knowing that the worst had already happened.
Ronald Hamilton is being held without bond in the Prince William County Adult Detention Center. He faces charges including first-degree murder, capital murder of a police officer, two counts of malicious wounding of a police officer and two counts of use of a firearm in commission of a felony.
UPDATE: A vigil is planned for Crystal Hamilton on Tuesday night, March 1, at 7 p.m. in front of the family's home on Lashmere Court in Woodbridge.
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