November 14, 2026 — He fired at us, and three of our deputies returned fire, striking him. That was how Escambia County Sheriff Chip Simmons described what happened Friday afternoon 11/13/26, at a Florida motel. The sheriff could tell it in a sentence. His deputies lived it. For facing down gunfire to take an alleged murderer into custody, the National Police Association recognizes the deputies of the Escambia County, FL Sheriff’s Office as NPA Law Enforcement Heroes of the Day.
The incident began four hours earlier in Long Beach, Mississippi. A hospice worker had come to a house on Lantana Boulevard to check on Doris Crimmins, 84, who was receiving care for a heart condition. The worker found Crimmins and her daughter, Kimberly Hernandez, 63, dead. At about 10:15 that morning, Long Beach police answered the call.
Early accounts spoke of a double homicide. Harrison County Coroner Brian Switzer supplied a more careful account. Crimmins appeared to have died of natural causes. Her daughter had been shot. Autopsies were scheduled for Tuesday. Long Beach investigators identified Crimmins’ son, Richard Timothy Ward, as a suspect in the killing of his sister. They also identified a vehicle connected to the case. By afternoon, Ward and the vehicle had been located in Pensacola, Florida.
In Mississippi, detectives investigating the death of a woman in her own home had learned the whereabouts of a suspect. In Florida, somebody had to go to the Sweet Dreams Inn on Plantation Road and take him into custody. That duty fell to Escambia County deputies.
According to Sheriff Simmons, when deputies made contact with Ward at about 2:15 p.m., he drew a gun. They ordered him to drop it. They gave that command repeatedly. Ward had the opportunity to lay down his weapon, walk away from that encounter unhurt, and answer the accusation in court. The answer the deputies received, however, was gunfire.
The deputies stayed in the fight and returned fire. Ward was struck and taken to a hospital. Every deputy came through uninjured.
That evening, at 8:48, the Escambia County jail recorded the booking of Richard Timothy Ward, 64, on a Florida charge of attempted felony murder. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement will investigate the deputies’ use of force. Mississippi investigators have their own work ahead in the death of Kimberly Hernandez. Ward is in custody and can answer all the allegations against him.
The people of Long Beach had a right to expect that the search for the man suspected of killing their neighbor would continue wherever the evidence led. They will likely never meet the Florida deputies who went to the motel on their behalf. Those Florida deputies did what all police are called to do: help keep us safe. When the gun came out, they called for surrender. When gunfire came, they stood their ground.
Kimberly Hernandez deserves to be remembered by name. And the men and women who wear the Escambia County badge deserve to hear a word of thanks while the events of Friday are still fresh. On November 13, a family in Mississippi had occasion to depend upon them. To the deputies who answered that call, faced an armed man, and brought him into custody, the National Police Association recognizes the gratitude they earned on Plantation Road.