A Greenville, South Carolina, police officer was ambushed in his patrol automotive after a suspect pulled up beside him and opened fireplace in an assault captured on surveillance video and ending with the gunman lifeless.
Video launched by the South Carolina Legislation Enforcement Division (SLED) reveals a car pulling right into a car parking zone and stopping immediately alongside the motive force’s aspect of a marked patrol automotive.
Seconds later, gunfire flashes within the darkness because the suspect opens fireplace earlier than driving away, leaving the officer wounded contained in the patrol automotive.
The wounded officer was rushed to a hospital for remedy and has since been launched.
Greenville County Sheriff Hobart Lewis mentioned deputies later situated the suspect’s car, setting off a short pursuit.
Authorities say there have been a number of exchanges of gunfire in the course of the chase, which ended with a crash and the suspect lifeless inside his car. The Greenville County Coroner recognized the suspect as David William Lane, 42.
“This incident stemmed from an ambush-style assault in opposition to a Greenville metropolis officer,” Lewis mentioned.
The Greenville County Sheriff’s Workplace confirmed to Fox Information Digital that it had prior contact with Lane earlier than Sunday’s ambush. In an announcement, the sheriff’s workplace mentioned deputies acquired a number of complaints from neighbors Jan. 1 and Jan. 2 concerning Lane’s feedback and conduct.
Deputies responded to and investigated every grievance, figuring out that whereas the conduct was regarding, it didn’t rise to the extent required for a legal arrest warrant.
Out of an abundance of warning, the sheriff’s workplace mentioned directors on the Looking Downs residence complicated coordinated with deputies to rent off-duty sheriff’s deputies for safety.
That element started on Jan. 8 to assist guarantee the security of residents.
A mom whose daughter lived on the complicated shared safety video with Fox Carolina that seems to indicate Lane approaching her daughter’s residence earlier this month whereas carrying a gun.
The girl informed the outlet Lane had been stalking her daughter and others on the complicated and made threatening statements.
SLED was requested to analyze the ambush by each the Greenville Police Division and the Greenville County Sheriff’s Workplace.
The company says it’ll conduct a radical, impartial investigation, together with witness interviews and forensic testing, earlier than submitting its findings to prosecutors. No extra particulars are being launched at the moment.
The company mentioned the incident marks the second officer-involved capturing in South Carolina in 2026 and the primary involving the Greenville County Sheriff’s Workplace this yr.
SLED mentioned the state recorded 45 officer-involved shootings in 2025, seven of which concerned the sheriff’s workplace.
