Police officer killed in shooting at South Carolina park

Published August 29, 2026 9:41pm ET | Updated August 30, 2026 4:00pm ET



A 29-year-old police officer died in Columbia, South Carolina, on Saturday, and a second was injured after a man with an extensive criminal record opened fire on the officers in a park.

Christopher DeLong responded to a call around 9:30 a.m. from a woman who said a man she had a restraining order against was “destroying property at her home,” according to the Associated Press. DeLong left the home about an hour later to find a man who matched the woman’s description near a vehicle, at which point a “gunfight” broke out.

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