Police released a timeline showing how an initial complaint on Holstein Lane led officers to a confrontation at Southeast Park.
COLUMBIA, S.C. — A call about a reported domestic disturbance set off a sequence of events Saturday that ended about an hour later in gunfire at Southeast Park, killing Columbia police Officer Christopher DeLong and the man officers had been seeking, authorities said.
The police timeline provides a clearer picture of how the Aug. 29 encounter developed before the shooting. A second Columbia officer, David Dymock, was wounded and was in stable condition Saturday evening. The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division is now investigating the gunfire, leaving several details about the confrontation unresolved.
Columbia officers were dispatched at about 9:27 a.m. to a disturbance in progress in the 100 block of Holstein Lane. Police said a woman reported that a man against whom she had a restraining order was at her residence damaging property. The man had left by the time police arrived.
DeLong was assigned to the call at about 9:30 a.m. and arrived at approximately 9:43 a.m., according to information released by police. The woman gave officers the man’s name, a physical description and information about the vehicle associated with him. Police identified the man as 33-year-old Adam Tyler Dowdy of Prosperity.
DeLong cleared the Holstein Lane call at about 10:32 a.m. A few minutes later, police said, he reported a suspicious person near a vehicle at 951 Hazelwood Road, where Southeast Park is located. Authorities later confirmed that the man encountered at the park was the same person connected to the earlier disturbance call.
Dymock responded as a backup officer and arrived at about 10:41 a.m. Roughly four minutes later, he radioed that officers had been hit and the suspect was down. Columbia Police Chief W.H. “Skip” Holbrook later described what happened as a gunfight.
DeLong, 29, suffered fatal injuries. Dymock was taken for medical treatment and remained in stable condition when police provided an update Saturday evening. Dowdy also died in the shooting, authorities said. Police said he was armed, but officials had not released a full account of the gunfire or a detailed reconstruction of the encounter by Sunday morning.
Authorities said Dowdy had an extensive criminal history involving arrests in multiple states. Separate court records reviewed by news organizations also showed that he had a pending criminal case in Georgia involving domestic violence allegations. Those earlier allegations were unresolved matters and do not establish what occurred during Saturday’s shooting.
DeLong had been with the Columbia Police Department for about two years. The department said he was hired in 2024 and graduated from the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy in January 2025 before being assigned to patrol in the southeast region. He leaves behind a wife and two young children.
The Richland County Sheriff’s Department assisted after the shooting, and the park remained the focus of a large investigative response as evidence was collected. Police said there was no continuing threat to the public once the scene was secured.
SLED’s investigation will determine the circumstances surrounding the exchange of gunfire. Police Chief Holbrook said additional briefings would be provided, but authorities had not announced a timetable Sunday for releasing further investigative findings.
Author note: Last updated August 30, 2026.