In the winter of 2003, a dispute over a small piece of land in Abbeville, South Carolina, escalated into a violent standoff that left two law enforcement officers dead. Donald 'Donnie' Ouzts, a 63-year-old male Constable with the Abbeville County Magistrate's Office, was one of the officers killed on December 8, 2003. The events unfolded when Sergeant Danny Wilson of the Abbeville County Sheriff's Office went to the home of Arthur and Rita Bixby to speak with them about threats they had made
towards Department of Transportation workers. The Bixbys were upset that a portion of their land was to be taken by eminent domain for a highway widening project.
After Sergeant Wilson arrived at the Bixby residence, dispatchers lost contact with him. Concern grew, and other officers, including Constable Ouzts, were sent to the scene. As Ouzts was conferring with another deputy on the front lawn, he was shot in the back. The shot proved to be fatal. A chaotic and prolonged standoff ensued, lasting for 14 hours, during which hundreds of shots were exchanged between law enforcement and the Bixby family.
Following the lengthy standoff, one of the male suspects surrendered. A police robot was sent into the house and discovered the body of Sergeant Wilson just inside the door, with his hands handcuffed behind his back. Eventually, the remaining family members, Arthur Bixby, his wife Rita, and their son Steven, were all taken into custody.
The legal aftermath of the deadly encounter brought a measure of justice for the deaths of Constable Ouzts and Sergeant Wilson. Steven Bixby was convicted on two counts of capital murder in February 2007 and was subsequently sentenced to death. His mother, Rita Bixby, was convicted of murder and conspiracy and received a life sentence. She died in prison in September 2011, just days after her husband. Arthur Bixby, the father, was found incompetent to stand trial and was committed to a state mental institution, where he died in September 2011.
