According tothe Officer Down Memorial Page, in 2016 there have been a total one hundred, and thirty-three deaths in the law enforcement officers, where one hundred and twenty-eight are males and five are females. In January there were five fatalities, February ten, March sixteen, April two, May seven, June ten, July nineteen, August ten, September sixteen, October seventeen and November twenty-one deaths. Out of these deaths, sixty died of gunfire, fifty-three out of auto-related deaths and twenty from natural deaths while in the line of duty. Officer Ashley Marie Guindon and Deputy Sheriff Eric James Oliver were among the one hundred and thirty-three officers who died in the line of duty. Guindon died of a gunfire attack as she was responding to a domestic disturbance while Oliver in an automobile accident while in pursuit of a fleeing subject.
Officer Guindon was shot dead while responding to a report on domestic violence in the Lake Ridge area, Lashmere Court inside the 13000 block. The male subject in question killed his wife in their home and then as the police officers approached he opened fire on them with a rifle (Hanna et al. N.P). Two officers who were in the company of Guindon were wounded while she was fatally wounded. They were all taken to Inova Fairfax Hospital by plane where Officer Guindon lost her life. The man who committed the crime was arrested at the crime scene and afterward charged with first-degree murder, capital murder, two counts of maliciously wounding a police officer and three counts of firearm use in the execution of a felony. Guindon was twenty-eight years old at the time of her death. She was a police officer at Prince William County Police Department in Virginia, and her badge number was 2564 (ODMP, N.P). She died on 27th February 2016, and she was only two days old in the law enforcement force. Most of the people who are leaving reflections and comments regarding Guindon’s death are family, fellow police officers, and friends. Most of the comments are for applauding her for the sacrifice she made to keep them safe and wishing her happiness in the afterlife.
Deputy Oliver died on 22nd November 2016 at the age of thirty-two while in the line of duty. He was struck by a vehicle and killed as he was taking part in a foot pursuit of a subject around the Chester Road and County Road 200 intersection at around 7:30 am. Oliver and another deputy were responding to back up some U.S Border Patrol agents who were at a gas station interrogating several subjects. One of these subjects ran away from the scene, and Oliver and the other deputy started pursuing him. As Oliver was chasing the subject across a roadway inJacksonville, he was fatally struck by a vehicle (Gallas, N.P). The subject Oliver was pursuing fled the scene but was subsequently apprehended and charged with illegally entering the United States. Oliver was a United States Navy veteran and had worked for seven years in the Nassau County Sherriff’s Office in Florida, and his badge number was 935. His survivors are a wife; a daughter aged six, two brothers and parents (ODMP, N.P). Similar to Guindon’s case, most of the individuals who are commenting and reflecting concerning Oliver’s life and death are his colleagues, family, and friends. The common message is that of comfort to the family, applauding Oliver for his dedicated service and praying for him to have a peaceful and happy rest.
Works Cited
Gallas, John. “Florida Deputy Fatally Struck During Foot Pursuit | Officer.Com”. Officer.Com, 2016, https://www.officer.com/news/12281997/florida-deputy-fatally-struck-during-foot-pursuit.
Hanna, Jason et al. “Fallen Officers: 61 Shot Dead This Year”. CNN, 2016, http://edition.cnn.com/2016/08/14/us/police-officers-fatal-shooting-line-duty-nationwide/.
ODMP. “The Officer Down Memorial Page (ODMP).” Odmp.Org, 2016, https://www.odmp.org/.