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COLUMBIA, S.C. — A Columbia police officer was killed and another wounded Saturday morning after responding to a domestic violence call that led them to a suspect at a city park, authorities said.
Officer Christopher Michael DeLong Jr., 29, died from injuries sustained in the shooting, Columbia Police Chief Skip Holbrook announced during an emotional news conference Saturday afternoon.
DeLong had served with the Columbia Police Department (CPD) for two years. He leaves behind a wife and two young children.
“Our hearts are broken this evening,” Holbrook said. “We gather under the worst circumstances you could possibly imagine.”
Holbrook said what began as an ordinary call for service would forever change the lives of DeLong’s family, fellow officers and the Columbia community.
“We recognize that no words expressed today could adequately express the magnitude of this loss or ease anyone’s pain,” Holbrook said. “And I know we all share that loss and acknowledge what an honor and a pleasure it was to both know him and love him and work with him.”
Officer David Dimmick, who has been with the department since 2024 and is assigned to the Southeast Region, was also wounded in the shooting. He was listed in stable condition Saturday.
The incident began around 9:27 a.m. when officers were dispatched to a home in the 100 block of Holstein Lane after a woman reported that a man against whom she had a restraining order was inside her residence damaging property.
The call was assigned to DeLong at 9:30 a.m., and he arrived about 13 minutes later, Holbrook said.
By the time DeLong arrived, the man had left. The woman provided police with the man’s name, a physical description and a description of the vehicle he was driving.
DeLong cleared the call at 10:32 a.m.
A short time later, DeLong initiated a suspicious person investigation at Southeast Park on Hazelwood Road after spotting a man standing near a vehicle matching the description provided by the woman.
Dimmick responded as DeLong’s backup at approximately 10:41 a.m.
Four minutes later, Dimmick radioed that officers had been shot and that the suspect was down.
DeLong later died from his injuries.
Authorities identified the suspect as Adam Dowdy, 33, of Prosperity, who also died in the shooting. The Richland County coroner confirmed his death.
Police later confirmed Dowdy was the same person being sought in connection with the earlier domestic violence incident.
Holbrook said Dowdy had a criminal history spanning South Carolina, Kentucky, Wisconsin and Georgia, including arrests and convictions involving controlled substances, drunken driving, disorderly conduct, probation violations and other offenses.
Police were also working Saturday to verify preliminary information indicating Dowdy may have been out on bond in Georgia on a family violence battery charge.
The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division has been asked to independently investigate the officer-involved shooting. The Richland County Sheriff’s Department is also assisting Columbia police.
Holbrook asked the community to remember DeLong’s family, Dimmick and the officers who continue to serve the city in the aftermath of the shooting.
“I ask this: You pray for the DeLong family to have strength as they navigate this unimaginable time for their family,” Holbrook said. “Pray for Officer Dimmick’s recovery, pray for his family, and pray for these police officers that serve so courageously in our capital city.”
Holbrook said law enforcement leaders from across the Midlands, as well as local, state and federal agencies and South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster, had reached out to the department following the shooting.
“I hope that our officers know that they’re not alone in this,” Holbrook said. “We will lean on each other in this tragic time.”
Following the briefing, officers and officials prepared for a procession from Prisma Health Richland Hospital honoring DeLong.
Law enforcement agencies from across South Carolina also began sharing messages of mourning and support Saturday afternoon for DeLong’s family, Dimmick and the Columbia Police Department.
For Columbia police, Holbrook said the loss extends far beyond the department.
“What started today as a very ordinary day has changed everybody’s lives standing here forever,” he said.
