Who is Keith Heacook? Delaware officer 'fighting for life' in hospital, left unconscious after violent assault
DELMAR, DELAWARE: A man has been arrested after a Delaware State Police officer Keith Heacook and an elderly couple were assaulted early Sunday morning on April 25 in Delmar, Sussex County. Corporal Keith Heacook is reportedly hospitalized and fighting for his life.
Randon D Wilkerson, 30, has been arrested and charged with attempted murder, three counts of assault, two counts of possession of a deadly weapon during the commission of a felony, burglary and terroristic threatening. Wilkerson was arraigned at Justice of the Peace Court 3 and committed to Sussex Correctional Institution on a $ 451,000 cash bond.
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At approximately 5:12 am on Sunday, April 25, the Delmar Police Department dispatched Corporal Heacook to the 11000 block of Buckingham Drive in the Yorkshire Estates Community for a report of a fight in progress. The 911 caller reported one of the occupants, who was later identified as Randon Wilkerson, was being disorderly, fighting with other residents of the house, and destroying items inside the residence.
Moments later, a separate 911 call was received from a neighbor across the street from the original caller, stating he and his wife had been assaulted by a male subject. The caller then stated the assailant was no longer at his house.
Delmar Police Department Corporal Keith Heacook had arrived at the address in response to these reports but at some point, he became unresponsive. This prompted additional officers to rush to the address, where they found him inside, unconscious. Heacook was rushed to a nearby hospital so that life-saving measures could be administered. He was then taken to Shock Trauma in Baltimore, Maryland due to the critical nature of his injuries.
Chief Ivan Barkley of the Delmar Police Department described Heacook as "a husband, son, brother, and father," in a statement. "Keith is fighting for his life right now and he needs your prayers along with the elderly couple who were also injured," he said.
While authorities have not revealed what caused Heacook's injuries, they said Wilkerson had also assaulted an elderly couple who lived across the street.
"Wilkerson knocked on the back door of the residence and was met by the 73-year-old male victim," police said in a press release. "The male victim was then assaulted as Wilkerson entered the house and then struck numerous times with a glass object. Wilkerson then repeatedly assaulted a 76-year-old female with the same object before fleeing the house."
Police said the elderly couple had also sustained significant injuries and both were rushed to nearby hospitals for treatment.
"My heart is heavy tonight for three innocent victims: Cpl. Keith Heacook of the Delmar Police Department, who is being treated for grave injuries he suffered in an attack this morning, and an elderly couple who also suffered severe injuries at the hands of the same attacker," said Delaware Attorney General Kathy Jennings.
"DOJ personnel have been onsite in Delmar since this morning's attack and are working with Delaware State and Delmar Police to ensure a successful prosecution," she continued. "We will continue to monitor both the investigation itself and - with hope in our hearts - the condition of Cpl. Heacook and both civilian victims."
"These are the moments we all pray will never come. For the law enforcement community, the Town of Delmar, and the rest of our state, today is a bitter reminder of the daily danger our police officers willingly face so the rest of us don't have to," Jennings added.
That said, Wilkerson is currently remanded in custody on a $451,000.00 cash bond. A probe into both incidents is being led by the Delaware State Police, with assistance from Delmar Police Department, Wicomico County Sheriff's Office, and Maryland State Police.