A South Carolina police officer was killed and his partner wounded Saturday morning in a Columbia shootout that also left a career criminal dead.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1YmFnrDIpPw
Officer Christopher DeLong, 29, a two-year veteran of the Columbia Police Department, died from injuries sustained in the gun battle near the South East Park area, Chief W.H. Holbrook announced at a press conference. His backup, Officer Daved Dymock, survived and is in stable condition at a local hospital, according to police.
“And it’s with heartbreak and sadness that I inform you that one of our officers has succumbed to [his] injuries,” Holbrook said.
The fatal chain of events began at 9:27 a.m. With a domestic violence call on the 100 block of Holstein Lane. A female caller reported that Adam Downey, 33, against whom she held an active restraining order, was inside her home destroying her property.
DeLong arrived at 9:43 a.m. To find Downey had already fled. The officer gathered a physical and vehicle description from the victim, then cleared the residence at 10:32 a.m.
Minutes later, DeLong spotted a suspicious man at nearby Hazelwood Road who matched the description. The vehicle also matched. Dymock arrived as backup at 10:41 a.m.
Four minutes after Dymock’s arrival, he radioed dispatch with devastating news: both officers had been hit, and the suspect was down.
Police confirmed Downey had a lengthy criminal history with arrests spanning multiple states and was out on bond at the time of the shooting.
The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division has taken the lead on the investigation, with the Richland County Sheriff’s Department assisting. The probe remains ongoing.
The Columbia Police Department was not immediately available for additional comment.