Maryland mourns sheriff’s deputy shot and killed while chasing a fugitive

A Maryland sheriff’s deputy was fatally shot Sunday night while chasing a fugitive, according to authorities. Deputy First Class Glenn Hilliard was killed outside an apartment complex in Pittsville around 8:25 p.m while trying to apprehend a suspect who was wanted on four outstanding arrest warrants, a news release from the Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office said.

Hilliard had located the suspect, identified as Austin Jacob Allen Davidson, 20, in the area of the Talbot Street Apartments in Pittsville and had pursued him on foot, the release said.

According to a preliminary investigation, Davidson shot Hilliard with a handgun before fleeing the scene. Hilliard, 42, was transported by ambulance to a hospital where he was declared deceased. Davidson surrendered to the police some hours after the shooting and following an extensive manhunt, involving local, state and federal agencies.

He was charged with first-degree murder, second-degree murder, first-degree assault, second-degree assault, reckless endangerment and the use of a firearm in the commission of a violent crime, the release said. He is being held without bond at the Wicomico County Detention Center.

The Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office said Hilliard “was a son, a husband and a father to three beautiful children, a brother to those he worked with, and an exemplary public servant to the citizens of Wicomico County and to the State of Maryland.”

“As an organization, we are heartbroken over this senseless and tragic murder. This loss exacts an enormous emotional toll on the Sheriff’s Office family, but we will do what is necessary and proper to honor Glenn and support those who knew and loved him,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement posted on Facebook.

Hilliard was a 16-year law enforcement veteran who spent six years with the Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office in southeastern Maryland. He also spent 10 years as an officer for the Berlin Police Department on the Eastern Shore of the state.

He would have turned 42 on June 22. Hilliard leaves behind a wife and three children.