Truck driver accused in 11-hour hostage standoff with police
GREENWOOD -- Two Delaware towns were reeling as news spread that a Laurel-area man -- once involuntarily committed to a mental institution and barred from having a gun -- was charged with murder after an 11-hour hostage standoff with police in Greenwood.
"This just shocked me," said one neighbor of Ronald W. Williamson, 66. "He was very nice. I didn't ever think he was capable of doing that."
Williamson, a truck driver, was charged June 27 with shooting Connie Breeding, 55, in the head, killing her as she tried to flee from her mother's house on Water Street in Greenwood on June 26.
Williamson told police he went to the house expecting to confront his former girlfriend. Breeding was shot accidentally as she struggled with Williamson, according to court records. Breeding was the sister of Williamson's ex-girlfriend, state police Sgt. Paul Shavack said.
Williamson was charged with one count of murder, one count of possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony and two counts of possession of a firearm or ammunition by a person prohibited, due to a mental commitment. Details were not available. He was being held without bail.
Williamson told police he purchased the gun at a Dallas, Texas, truck stop several years ago, according to court records.
A woman who answered the door at his home last week declined to comment.
Williamson lived in a white, two-story house on a one-acre lot about a half-mile south of Laurel on busy Alternate Route 13, known as Bi-State Boulevard because it runs between Laurel and Delmar on the Maryland line.
His house sits in a row of similar homes on a thin strip of land sandwiched between the highway and a freight railroad line. Several vehicles were parked in the driveway, and a black tractor-trailer cab sat out back.
Authorities said Williamson drove a 2010 Freightliner cab to the scene. They recovered a .38-caliber revolver and ammunition after a search of the cab and the victim's home, court records stated, but it was not clear where the gun was found.
People living near Williamson said they were shocked to hear that a man they described as a good neighbor was charged with murder.
"He was a nice man. We never had any problems," said next-door neighbor Margaret Taylor, who said they had been neighbors for about a decade. "He was a fine man, as far as I'm concerned."
Another neighbor, who did not want her name published, said Williamson had been separated from his wife for several years. She said he had lived outside Laurel for more than 15 years and worked as a truck driver for more than 40 years, landing a new job about a year ago with a Texas trucking firm.
"I feel sorry for him, because he just couldn't get his life together, I guess," she said, describing him as a friendly man who would help out his neighbors in a pinch. "He was a good neighbor," she said. "If there was anything he could do, he would do it."
Residents said the confrontation began around 9:30 a.m. June 26. Police said Williamson arrived at the Greenwood home that morning to confront a 62-year-old female acquaintance, who managed to escape.
A Greenwood police officer arriving on the scene caught the events on a dashboard video camera. He got out of his car and told Williamson to drop the gun, court records state.
Williamson then grabbed Breeding and began struggling with her in the front yard, shooting her in the head. He then took up a position behind a nearby garage and shot at the officer four times without injuring him, according to police and court records.
Williamson then went into the house and shot one resident, a 25-year-old man, in the hand, police said. The man, identified by family as Breeding's son, managed to escape, though court records make no mention of his escape or injuries.
Williamson then held Breeding's 82-year-old mother hostage for about seven hours before releasing her.
He surrendered to police about 8:45 p.m., walking out with his hands in the air.
Shavack said the case is still under investigation and will be reviewed by the Attorney General's Office for potential additional charges such as kidnapping, shooting at the police officer and wounding the 25-year-old man.
The Water Street home where the shooting and standoff took place was quiet the day after the incident. The small street, running for only a block between South Church Street and the railroad tracks, appeared abandoned. No one answered the door.
Residents were evacuated to the Greenwood Fire Company, and the town along Route 13 was blocked off by police as the standoff continued. The Delaware State Police Special Operations Team and Crisis Management Team negotiated with Williamson for hours.
dshortridge@delaware online.com
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