In the winter of 2003, a dispute over a small piece of land in Abbeville, South Carolina, escalated into a violent and tragic confrontation that resulted in the death of a dedicated law enforcement officer. Sergeant Danny Wilson, a 37-year-old male deputy with the Abbeville County Sheriff's Office, was a seven-year veteran of the force and a Staff Sergeant in the National Guard.
On the morning of December 8th, he was drawn into a long-simmering conflict involving a local family and the Department of Transportation.
The Bixby family, consisting of Arthur, his wife Rita, and their son Steven, were adamantly opposed to a portion of their land being taken by eminent domain for the widening of a highway. They had reportedly made threats to shoot anyone who attempted to come onto their property. Aware of these threats, Sergeant Wilson went to the Department of Transportation to warn the workers and then proceeded to the Bixby residence to try and mediate the situation. Upon his arrival, as he exited his patrol car, he was shot. The wound to his upper chest, in an area not protected by his ballistic vest, proved to be fatal.
Following the initial shooting, a harrowing 14-hour standoff ensued. The Bixby family dragged the wounded officer into their home and handcuffed him. When dispatch was unable to make contact with Sergeant Wilson, additional units were sent to the scene, including Constable Donnie Ouzts. Tragically, Ouzts was also shot and killed by the Bixbys. The home became a fortress, with hundreds of rounds of gunfire exchanged between the heavily armed family and the assembled law enforcement officers.
After a tense and lengthy siege, Steven Bixby was the first to surrender to the authorities. Not long after, his parents, Arthur and Rita Bixby, also gave themselves up. Inside the house, law enforcement discovered the body of Sergeant Wilson. The aftermath of the standoff saw the wheels of justice begin to turn. Steven Bixby was charged with two counts of capital murder. In February 2007, he was convicted and subsequently sentenced to death for the killings of Sergeant Wilson and Constable Ouzts. His mother, Rita Bixby, was also convicted of murder and received a life sentence. She later died in prison. The patriarch, Arthur Bixby, was found to be mentally incompetent to stand trial and was committed to a state mental institution, where he remained until his death.
