A Virginia rookie police officer Ashley Guindon, 28, of the Prince William County Police Department was shot and killed Saturday and two other officers were wounded as they responded to a call about a domestic related incident. Ronald Hamilton is charged with killing Guindon and wounding two other officers after allegedly killing his wife. The investigation revealed that the accused and his wife were involved in a verbal altercation which escalated physically. Hamilton showed up to court on Monday with multiple charges for  the death of a police officer and  first degree murder of his wife. Hamilton was an army sergeant  assigned to the Joint Staff Support Center at the Pentagon.

http://www.cnn.com/2016/02/28/us/prince-william-county-officer-shooting/index.html

This tragedy has pass all over the news. This case is very sad and the crime makes me angry.  I think if there is ever justification for the death penalty it would be cases like this.  On the other hand we need to look for ways to stop things like this in the future.  We need to try to understand what could have caused this to happen. This man served two tours of duty as an American soldier in war.  It is known that war affects mental health.  I want to know if he had the proper mental health care.  Was he suffering from trauma?  His actions can not be excused but we also have a responsibility as a society to take care of the mental and emotional health of our soldiers.

There are a few lessons to learn in this sad tragedy.  Being a police Officer requires a willingness to sacrifice safety every day.  This tragedy can also be a lesson for women who are victims of domestic abuse.  They need to speak up before it is too late.  Unfortunately it was too late for Mrs. Hamilton.

If you suspect or are a victim of domestic abuse please consider reaching out for help.

http://www.thehotline.org/