Community Rallies Behind Delmar Officer who was Assaulted Sunday Morning

DELMAR, Del. - Police Chief Ivan Barkley said Monday that Corporal Keith Heacook was still in critical condition at Shock Trauma in Baltimore with his family by his side. Delaware State Police say he was assaulted by 30-year-old Randon Wilkerson Sunday morning and that Wilkerson also viciously wounded his elderly neighbors. Chief Barkley is thanking the community for their support and wants them to know that they are safe. 

According to court documents Randon Wilkerson's roommate saw him slam his foot down onto the officers head. This all happened just after 5 a.m. Sunday when Cpl. Heacook responded to a reported "fight in progress" in the Yorkshire States Community. Officers found Cpl. Heacook unconscious.

Cpl. Heacook has worked at the Delmar Police Department for 22 years. Chief Barkley says Cpl. Heacook had been contemplating retiring to work at Salisbury University before this happened.

Terry Gakidja says it was a terrifying scene on Buckingham drive Sunday morning. 

"Next thing I know, it was officers running through my house with rifles drawn," Gakidja says. 

DSP says Wilkerson lived in the 1100 block of Buckingham Drive and that the initial 911 call came from his house, which neighbors say is often disorderly. DSP says Wilkerson went across the street to assault the elderly couple and then went back to his own home, which is where DSP says Corporal Heacook showed up and Wilkerson assaulted him.

"There were actually other people that were living in the same house," says Master Corporal Gary Fournier with Delaware State Police. "They were all initially taken into custody until we could determine what occurred inside the house."

According to court documents, when Wilkerson went to his 73 and 76-year-old neighbors' home, he was let inside after telling them there was a fight next door, but immediately after, detectives say Wilkerson punched the older man in the face and used a glass angel figurine to beat the couple, breaking the woman's eye sockets, and telling the older man, "I'm going to kill you." 

"They walk their five dogs together every morning and when I'm out here, she'll stop and we'll talk," Gakidja says. "He stops at everybody and when I heard that I was like oh my goodness and when I heard the officer got hurt, I was like wow."

Court documents say April 25th was Wilkerson's 30th birthday. Wilkerson was caught walking in the rear of the property and arrested. He confessed to ingesting large amounts of drugs and alcohol, and to assaulting his roommates and neighbors, but denied hurting Corporal Heacook.

Al Weir with FOP Lodge #2 in Sussex County went to Delmar PD Monday to express his gratitude for the officer. 

"We just want to let them know as law enforcement officers, we are totally in support of him and everything he does to protect the public," Weir says. 

Chief Ivan Barkley says people have reached out from all over the country offering their help.

"A lot of law enforcement is trying to figure out direction and they're not sure if the communities are with them, it is touching," Chief Barkley says. 

The criminal investigation is in the hands of DSP. 

"What happened on the staffing side of things, that's for us to look into," Chief Barkley says. 

Wilkerson was also charged with kicking a phlebotomist, who was drawing his blood as part of a police warrant. DSP says Wilkerson's motive and the weapon he used to attack Cpl. Heacook are unknown. Wilkerson has a preliminary hearing scheduled for this Wednesday.