A Columbia, South Carolina, police officer died and a second officer was injured Saturday during a shooting at a park, an incident that followed a call about a domestic dispute. The suspect, identified as 33-year-old Adam Tyler Dowdy, also died at the scene.
Columbia Police Chief W.H. “Skip” Holbrook announced the fatalities at a news conference. The deceased officer, Christopher DeLong, 29, had been with the department for two years and is survived by his wife and two children. Officer David Dymock, the injured officer, was reported to be in stable condition.
The incident began around 9:30 a.m. when a woman called police to report that a man against whom she had a restraining order was destroying property at her home. Officer DeLong was the first to arrive and learned the suspect had left the residence. The woman provided a description of the suspect and his vehicle.
Later, around 10:30 a.m., DeLong observed a man near a vehicle matching the description and initiated a call about a suspicious person. Officer Dymock arrived as backup. Minutes later, dispatch received a radio call indicating that officers had been engaged and that the suspect was down.
Dowdy had a history of arrests in at least four states, with charges including disorderly conduct, contempt of court, public intoxication, possession of a controlled substance, and probation violations, according to Chief Holbrook. The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division is investigating the shooting.