A Greenville, South Carolina, police officer was ambushed in his patrol car after a suspect pulled up next to him and opened fire in an attack captured on surveillance video that ended with the gunman’s death.
Video released by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) shows a vehicle pulling into a parking lot and stopping directly next to the driver’s side of a marked patrol car.
Seconds later, gunfire flashes in the darkness as the suspect opens fire before driving away, leaving the officer wounded in the patrol car.
The injured officer was taken to a hospital for treatment and has since been released.
Greenville County Sheriff Hobart Lewis said deputies later located the suspect’s vehicle, prompting a brief pursuit.
Authorities say multiple gunshots occurred during the chase, which ended with a crash and the suspect dead in his vehicle. The Greenville County Coroner identified the suspect as David William Lane, 42.
“This incident stemmed from an ambush-style attack on a Greenville city officer,” Lewis said.
The Greenville County Sheriff’s Office confirmed to Fox News Digital that it had previously been in contact with Lane before Sunday’s ambush. In a statement, the sheriff’s office said officers received multiple complaints from neighbors about Lane’s comments and behavior on Jan. 1 and 2.
Deputies responded to and investigated each complaint, determining that the conduct, while concerning, did not rise to the level required for a criminal arrest warrant.
Out of an abundance of caution, the sheriff’s office said managers at the Hunting Downs apartment complex worked with deputies to hire off-duty deputies for security.
That detail began Jan. 8 to help ensure the safety of residents.
A mother whose daughter lived in the complex shared surveillance video with Fox Carolina showing Lane approaching her daughter’s apartment earlier this month while carrying a gun.
The woman told the outlet that Lane had stalked her daughter and others in the complex and made threatening statements.
SLED was asked by both the Greenville Police Department and the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office to investigate the ambush.
The agency says it will conduct a thorough, independent investigation, including witness interviews and forensics, before submitting its findings to prosecutors. No additional details are being released at this time.
The agency said the incident is the second officer-involved shooting in South Carolina in 2026 and the first involving the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office this year.
SLED said the state has recorded 45 officer-involved shootings in 2025, seven of which involved the sheriff’s office.
