On the evening of April 9, 2015, Lawrence Buckner, a 58-year-old male security guard, was fatally shot while on duty at the U.S. Census Bureau headquarters in Suitland, Maryland. An Army veteran with 20 years of experience as a security guard, Buckner was a married father and grandfather. His death was the culmination of a violent chain of events that began with a domestic dispute and an armed kidnapping in Washington, D.C.
The suspect, identified as 48-year-old Ronald Anderson of
Suitland, allegedly abducted a woman at gunpoint. The victim, in an attempt to find safety, drove to the federal facility in Suitland, knowing that armed guards were present. Anderson followed her onto the grounds. Buckner, observing a struggle between two individuals in a vehicle that matched the description of the one involved in the kidnapping, approached the car. It was then that Anderson shot Buckner.
Following the shooting, Anderson fled the scene, leading to a police chase into Washington, D.C. The pursuit ended with a crash and a shootout with police, during which Anderson and a police officer were wounded. The kidnapping victim was found safe. Anderson was subsequently arrested and charged with multiple offenses, including murder and kidnapping. If convicted, he faced a potential sentence of death or life in prison.
