Police in Columbia, South Carolina, responded to a domestic dispute Saturday morning that ended with one officer dead and another wounded in a gunfight with a suspect. The officers arrived shortly after 9:30 a.m. at a residence where a woman reported that a man she had a restraining order against was destroying property.
The suspect, identified as Adam Tyler Dowdy, had already left the scene when officers arrived but was located about an hour later. A gunfight ensued, resulting in Dowdy’s death, police said.
Columbia police Chief W.H. “Skip” Holbrook said during a news conference that Officer Christopher DeLong, 29, was killed in the line of duty. DeLong had served with the department for two years and leaves behind a wife and two young children. The second officer, David Dymock, was injured but is in stable condition, Holbrook added.
Holbrook described Dowdy as having a history of arrests across multiple states, including South Carolina, Kentucky, Wisconsin, and Georgia. He said Dowdy may have been out on bond for a previous battery charge in Georgia, but authorities were working to verify that information.
The investigation into the shooting is ongoing, with the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division leading the probe. Holbrook asked the public to pray for the families involved and expressed condolences from law enforcement agencies statewide and South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster.
U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., issued a statement mourning DeLong’s death and praising law enforcement officers for their service. “Officer DeLong answered the call to serve and protect us all, and he lost his life in the line of duty this morning,” Graham said. “We’re also praying for Officer Dymock’s full recovery. Law enforcement officers are heroes who protect us every day. We owe them a debt of gratitude for their service and sacrifice.”
Jon Ross Myers is the executive editor and publisher of the Mississippi News Network, Mississippi's largest digital only media company. He can be reached at editor@tippahnews.com
