A police officer was killed and another wounded in a shooting described as a gunfight that occurred Saturday in a park in Columbia, South Carolina, after officers responded to a domestic‑dispute call, police chief W.H. “Skip” Holbrook said. The call came around 9:30 a.m. from a woman who reported that a man subject to a restraining order was destroying property at her home.
The officer who died was 29‑year‑old Christopher DeLong, a two‑year veteran of the Columbia Police Department. He leaves a wife and two young children. Chief Holbrook, visibly emotional, said, “Our hearts are broken this evening.” DeLong’s wife posted on social media that he was “the best dad to our babies” and that she was “living a nightmare.”
DeLong arrived at the residence shortly after the 9:30 call and learned the suspect had fled. The woman provided a description of the suspect and his vehicle. Around 10:30 a.m., DeLong left the home and, minutes later, reported a suspicious person near a vehicle matching the description. Backup officer David Dymock responded, and both officers radioed that they had been hit and that the suspect was down.
The suspect was identified as 33‑year‑old Adam Tyler Dowdy, who has a lengthy criminal record spanning at least four states and prior charges that include disorderly conduct, contempt of court, public intoxication, possession of a controlled substance and probation violations. The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division will investigate the shooting, and a department spokesperson confirmed the inquiry is ongoing. Chief Holbrook urged officers to support one another and asked the community to pray for the department.
