April 29, 2021
Line of Duty Death
“It’s not how these officers died that made them heroes, it is how they lived.”
Words inscribed at the National Law Enforcement Officers wall in Washington DC. Those words have a deeper meaning today as I sadly write this message. One of ours… a fellow police officer has been killed in the line of duty. He was Delmar Police Officer Corporal Keith Heacook. A 22 year veteran of the department. A police department that sits on the bordering line of both Maryland and Delaware on Our Eastern Shore. Those officers are multi trained in both states and serve the community with excellence.
Cpl. Heacook sustained injuries after an altercation at a residence in Delmar, Delaware on Sunday, April 25, 2021. He was initially transported to a local hospital, then transported to Shock Trauma by the Maryland State Police. A heroic effort of the Shock Trauma for several days to save his life ended on Wednesday, April 28, 2021 as he was pronounced clinically deceased.
I have copied the press release for your review. On behalf of the Maryland State Police Alumni Association, we express our sincere condolences to the family, friends, fellow brothers and sisters at Delmar Police, and to the community that he most proudly served.
This is an American tragedy. Our brother was doing his job, serving the citizens of our country. He answered the call. I ask each of you to say a prayer for his family and the department at this time of their loss.
At these times, we often ask ourselves what can I do. We must realize that this happened at our backdoor, Hometown USA. This is not something that happened far away or we cannot say that it doesn’t happen here. It did. Regardless of the color of the uniform. He was one of us and we all mourn the loss of a brother law enforcement officer.
Here are just a few things that you can do as a dedication to police officers that continue to answer the call.
- Donate to a charity in the officer’s memory.
- Donate to Maryland COPS.
- Volunteer at your local barrack.
- Thank the next officer you encounter on the street.
- Support all legislation that effects our Law enforcement.
Respectfully,
Jeannie Mastronardi
MSPAA President
Press Release
(Provided by WMAR)
At approximately 5:12 am on Sunday April 25, the Delmar Police Department was dispatched to the 11000 block of Buckingham Drive in the Yorkshire Estates Community for a report of a fight in progress.
Corporal Keith Heacook with the Delmar Police Department was involved in a physical altercation.
The dispatchers began checking on the officer and received no response. At that time, additional officers were dispatched and a Wicomico County Sheriffs Office Deputy and a Delaware State Trooper arrived on scene to find the officer unconscious in the residence.
First Aid was rendered to the officer and Emergency Medical personnel transported him to Tidal Heath in Salisbury and he was transferred to Shock Trauma in Baltimore with significant injuries.
