NPA Law Enforcement Heroes of the Day, National Police Association
November 14, 2026 — He fired at us, and three of our deputies returned fire, striking him.
Victims and police response
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 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.
