One Columbia, South Carolina police officer has been killed and another wounded after a shootout while responding to a domestic violence call on Saturday morning.
🚨 NOW: A 29-year-old police officer has been KlLLED in the line of duty in Columbia, South Carolina, after encountering a criminal and getting into a gunfight
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) August 30, 2026
Say his name: Officer Christopher DeLong 🙏🏻
The armed suspect was involved in a domestic dispute, and he was… pic.twitter.com/yi1EwwMOd3
Rest in Peace to Columbia Police Officer Christopher Delong Jr. who was shot and killed today (8/29/26) in the line of duty.
— South Carolina Policy Council (@scpolicycouncil) August 29, 2026
Officer Delong was a son, a father, a husband, a friend, co worker and a public servant. He leaves behind his wife, two small children and his parents.… pic.twitter.com/PImRm039Zv
RIP to Gamecock and Columbia Police Officer Chris Delong Jr. who was shot and killed today in the line of duty.
— Gamecock Bourbon Society (@GamecockBourbon) August 30, 2026
Father, Son, Husband, friend, public servant.
If you are the praying type, say a prayer for his family tonight, both biological and the CPD. pic.twitter.com/lu3KTA0840
The FBI Columbia Field Office sends its deepest condolences to the @ColumbiaPDSC as they mourn the line-of-duty death of Officer Christopher DeLong. Our hearts and minds are with you during this difficult time, and we wish the injured officer a speedy recovery. pic.twitter.com/bRTvShiKEP
— FBI Columbia (@FBIColumbia) August 29, 2026
Police were dispatched to a home in Columbia and informed of an ongoing disturbance involving a 33-year-old suspect named Adam Downey, a man with an extensive criminal history. Officers later identified a car belonging to Downey. Just 15 minutes later, a unit radioed to dispatch that officers were struck by gunfire and that the suspect had also been hit. Downey was killed in the shootout.
a 29-year-old Officer Christopher DeLong Jr. was fatally wounded while another unnamed officer was in stable condition. DeLong Jr., a husband and father to two young children, joined the force in January 2025.
“I hope that our officers know that they’re not alone in this. We will lean on each other in this tragic time,” Columbia Police Chief Skip Holbrook said, according to NBC News. “Let’s pray for this department.”
Downey, the suspect, had a history of arrests across four states for charges including disorderly conduct, contempt of court, public intoxication, possession of a controlled substance and probation violations.
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