Alabama police officer shot and killed
Officer Justin Billa was responding to a murder investigation.
A Maryland police Medal of Valor winner was shot and killed Wednesday while intervening in a domestic violence dispute, officials said, making him the second police officer killed in the U.S. in just a 12-hour span.
Police named 14-year veteran Cpl. Mujahid A. Ramazziddin, 51, as the officer killed in the confrontation. He was off duty at the time of the incident. He was assigned to the Special Operations Division.
Cpl. Mujahid Ramzziddin was off-duty when he was shot Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2018.
According to a news release from Prince George's Police Department, Ramazziddin was assisting a female neighbor "who was being threatened by her estranged husband." The armed suspect fatally shot the officer and left the area in a black SUV, police said.
NBC Washington reported the officer was a veteran of the Marine Corps and a father of four children.
"Mujahid stood his ground to defend the life of the individual who had come to him for help," Chief Hank Stawinski said.
The SUV was spotted shortly after by law enforcement and a pursuit began, the news release said. The suspect ditched his vehicle and reportedly engaged in "an exchange of gunfire." Officers shot and killed the man as he attempted to flee in a wooded area, NBC Washington reported.
Prince George's Police Department identified the suspect as Glenn Tyndell, 37, who had multiple open assault warrants.
Police said Glenn Tyndell, 37, was the suspect in the fatal officer shooting. (Prince George's Police Department)
Prince George's Police Department tweeted: "With broken hearts, we are announcing that one of our officers was shot and killed today. The brave officer was shot while stepping in to protect a woman threatened in a domestic situation. Please keep his family and our department in your prayers."
Thoughts and prayers from police stations around the U.S. flooded in following the announcement.
The death of the Maryland officer followed an early-morning murder in Alabama.
Justin Billa, a former officer of the month with the Mobile Police Department, was gunned down after a murder suspect barricaded himself in his Alabama home around 12:30 a.m. The suspect, Robert Hollie, also died. It was not immediately clear if he was killed by officers or shot himself.
Chuck Canterbury, the president of the National Fraternal Order of Police, condemned the two slayings on Wednesday, noting the "astronomical increase" of law enforcement officers who have been shot in the field.
"Our brothers and sisters in law enforcement took an oath to protect and serve, but this should not make them targets of violence," Canterbury said. "The number of officers being shot in the line of duty remains on the rise and yet some politicians sit idly by and do nothing for our law enforcement officers except pose for pictures when it is politically expedient to do so."
With the Maryland officer's death, at least 15 officers across the U.S. have died while on duty in 2018 -- with 12 of those deaths caused by gunfire.
Editor's Note: A previous version of this story stated the suspect was apprehended, then shot by police. The suspect was shot while police pursued him on foot.
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