WPD Police Chief discusses the efforts of his team and the community in responding to last weeks events

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — Wilmington Police Chief Donny Williams has been in law enforcement for more than thirty years. The response he saw from his department on Friday, was unlike anything he says he’s ever seen.

“I’ve been chief for three years now and to see what I saw Friday was one of the most impressive things that I’ve seen in the past three years and probably my entire law enforcement career,” said Williams.

WPD, along with the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office, were on Market Street trying to stop a suspect tied to three other shootings when that suspect, William Brent Gilmore, fired shots at law enforcement, who returned fire. For Chief Williams, it was a team effort on all fronts.

“We had multiple partners that have assisted us from the sheriff’s office, to directly being involved in the incident, to our highway patrol that was investigating all the crashes involved. We had a very dangerous individual running around in our community, our officers and deputies they did what they needed to do to make our community safe,” said Williams.

In the forever changing landscape of law enforcement and criminal activity, WPD recently participated in critical incident training. Training that Chief Williams said paid off.

“I think training is a big part of keeping us up to date on the best techniques and keeping our people refreshed. Training also reminds you that, hey we’re training for a reason, and it can happen in the City of Wilmington.”