PITTSVILLE, MD– Maryland State Police have arrested and charged a man wanted in the murder of a Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office deputy on Sunday evening.
According to police, shortly before 8:30 p.m. on Sunday, Wicomico County Sheriff’s Deputy First Class Glenn Hilliard and another deputy located Austin Jacob Allen Davidson near the Talbot Street Apartments on Gumboro Road in Pittsville, Maryland.
Police say Davidson was wanted for four outstanding felony arrest warrants in Somerset County, Wicomico County, Worcester County and Baltimore City, and marked as "armed and dangerous" in their system.
According to a preliminary investigation, when identified, Davidson ran from Hilliard. Sheriff Mike Lewis says as Deputy Hilliard was pursuing Davidson, Davidson shot him with laser-sighted semi-automatic handgun.
Sheriff Lewis says the crime was caught on body camera, and Deputy Hilliard did not have time to pull his gun out. Hilliard taken to TidalHealth after being shot, where he was pronounced dead.
The suspect, 20-year-old man of Delmar, Maryland, walked out of a wooded area approximately half a mile from the scene and surrendered. The weapon was found nearby. He is 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. He is being held without bond at the Wicomico County Detention Center.
During a press conference, Sheriff Mike Lewis said Davidson had been convicted of Armed Robbery in 2019 in Baltimore and received probation before judgment. Governor Larry Hogan called Davidson's sentence "unacceptable."
"Someone like this should not have been out on the streets," he told reporters. "You've heard me talk over and over again about getting tough on these repeat offenders, especially judges in Baltimore City letting people out."
The Governor said Davidson will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law
"Had he still been incarcerated where he belonged, our deputy would still be with us today," Sheriff Lewis told reporters.
State's Attorney Jamie Dykes said the case against Davidson will be presented to the Grand Jury in a few weeks and the trial will be set several months from now.
Governor Larry Hogan stood alongside Sheriff Lewis at the press conference, and said he met Hilliard's wife and three children Monday morning.
"His wife said she wanted to make sure we passed on to people that Glenn Hilliard died doing what he loved," an emotional Hogan told the crowd. "This is just a horrendous crime, a tragedy. It happens far too often."
Sheriff Mike Lewis says Hilliard had served in Crisfield and Berlin before joining Wicomico County Sheriff's Department.
Following an extensive two-hour manhunt, involving local, state and federal agencies, Davidson surrendered to law enforcement without incident about two hours after the shooting. Those who assisted in the search for the suspect included Maryland State Police, Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office, Worcester County