Veteran US marine shot dead on her first shift as Virginia police officer

A policewoman was shot and killed in the US on her very first day at work on Saturday, 27 February. Ashley Guindon, who had been sworn in as an officer in Virginia the day before, died from injuries sustained while responding to a domestic dispute only a few miles from the nation's capital, Washington DC.

Tragically, on the day before she died, the Prince William County police department tweeted a picture of her and another new colleague, asking them to be "be safe".

"This whole thing is just tragic," said sergeant Jonathan Perok of Guindon's death.

Police said in a statement that a suspect was in custody. The suspect, who is believed to be a member of the military, has not been identified, but the county attorney, Paul Ebert, told the Associated Press that he will press for a capital murder charge in the case.

Two of Guindon's colleagues, both of whom were with her when she was shot in the town of Woodbridge, are currently in hospital, while the suspect's wife is also believed to have been murdered.

"It is with profound sadness that we announce that Prince William County Police Officer Ashley Guindon, one of the officers involved in this evening's shooting on Lashmere Ct, has died as a result of her injuries sustained during the incident," her department said in a statement on Saturday.

"The investigation into the shooting is still underway and the remaining two officers wounded during the encounter are continuing to be treated for their injuries.

"We ask for everyone's thoughts and prayers as our department deals with this tragic loss. We also ask for continued patience as we learn more about this incident," the Prince William County Police Department wrote on Facebook.

Guindon, who served as a corporal in the US Marine Corps between 2007-2013, had a degree in aeronautics from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and a master's from George Washington University in forensic science.