SALISBURY, Md.- Funeral services were held Tuesday afternoon for Cpl. Glenn Hilliard, the Wicomico County sheriff's deputy who was shot and killed last week while trying to arrest a fugitive.
More than 1,000 officers from Delaware, Maryland and other states, along with members of the community that Hilliard served, attended the funeral, which was held at Emmanuel Wesleyan Church in Salisbury.
Paster Dana Bunting-Stauffer, of Emmanuel Fruitland, officiated at the service, which featured several guest speakers such as First Sgt. Burley Williams, of the Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office. Williams remembered Hilliard not just as a colleague, but as a friend.
"His smile and laughter were infectious," Williams said of Hilliard. "There's no way you could be around Glenn when he was having a great time and not have a great time yourself."
Maryland Lt. Gov. Boyd Rutherford, who also spoke, described Hilliard as "one of our true heroes who was there to protect our state with true valor."
Wicomico County Sheriff Mike Lewis, who was the final guest speaker, remembered hiring Hilliard as a sheriff's deputy in 2012. The sheriff said Hilliard became a beloved member of the sheriff's office and the community.
"His was a career highlighted by valor and sacrifice, benchmarks of our law enforcement profession," Lewis said...." "Glenn put the welfare and safety of others beyond his own."
Lewis noted that Hilliard's personnel file was "full of letters of commendation" and that it did not take long for him to become a role model for other sheriff's deputies as well as the community at large.
During his speech, Lewis recalled how Hilliard, who was part of the sheriff's office's criminal investigation division, requested a transfer to the patrol division. This surprised Lewis, who asked Hilliard why. Hilliard explained that he wanted to do this for "professional development to become a corporal."
Hilliard got that opportunity on Tuesday, as Lewis posthumously promoted him from the rank of deputy first class to that of corporal. Additionally, Lewis awarded Hilliard the Wicomico County Sheriff's Office Medal of Valor for his sacrifice. Lewis presented the award to Hilliard's widow, Tashica.
During the internment ceremony at Sunset Memorial Cemetery in Berlin, there was a police helicopter flyover, featuring Maryland State Police, Delaware State Police and a helicopter from as far away as the New York City Police Department.
The ceremony also featured a 21 gun salute and solemn final radio call for Corporal Hilliard.
Following the funeral, police escorted Hilliard's hearse to Sunset Memorial Park in Berlin, Md., where he was laid to rest following a graveside service that featured a 21-gun gun salute and a final roll call.
Hilliard, 41, was shot Sunday night, June 12, in Pittsville, Md., while trying to take into custody a fugitive wanted on felony warrants out of multiple jurisdictions, authorities said. Hilliard was rushed to TidalHealth Peninsula Regional in Salisbury, where he was pronounced dead.
The suspect in the shooting, 20-year-old Austin Davidson of Delmar, Md., was taken into custody following a two-hour manhunt and remains held without bond in the Wicomico County Detention Center while awaiting trial on first- and second-degree murder, first- and second-degree assault, and related charges.
Hilliard, an 18-year veteran law enforcement officer, would have celebrated his 42nd birthday on Wednesday, June 22. He leaves behind his wife, Tashica Hilliard and three children: De’Aijah Hobbs, Jersi Hilliard, and Trenton Hilliard.
