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Delmar resident Austin Jacob Allen Davidson was apprehended after shooting and killing Deputy First Class Glenn Hilliard, a 16-year veteran officer who was murdered days before his 42nd birthday, according to State Police and Hilliard's department.
Shortly before 8:30 p.m. on Sunday, June 12, Hilliard found Davidson - who was wanted on multiple felony warrants in multiple jurisdictions - near Talbot Street Apartments in the 7400 block of Gumboro Road in Pittsville.
When he tried to arrest him, police Davidson fled on foot then shot Hilliard with a handgun and fled the area on foot, police said. Hilliard was rushed to TidalHealth Peninsula Regional Hospital in Salisbury, where he was later pronounced dead.
Following a multi-agency manhunt, Davidson was tracked down and surrendered himself to police without further incident approximately two hours after the shooting, authorities said.
Davidson is being held at the Wicomico County Detention Center without bond. No return court date has been announced.
In response to the deputy’s murder, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan ordered that the US and state flags be lowered to half-staff in Hilliard’s memory.
“It is a difficult day at the Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office. When I met with Deputy Hilliard’s wife, she asked me to convey what a good man he was, and that he died doing what he loved,” the governor said.
“This is the most painful reminder of the risks that our law enforcement officers face when they answer the call to serve each and every day.”
Moving forward, officials said that the Maryland State Police Homicide Unit will be leading the ongoing investigation with assistance from the Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office.
Davidson was charged with first- and second-degree murder, assault, reckless endangerment and weapons offenses.
Other agencies that offered support included Wicomico County Emergency Management, Pittsville Fire and EMS Department, and the Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration.
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