Union County Sheriff's Office deputies drove to Irmo, S.C., on Friday, Sept. 4, to attend the funeral of Columbia Police Officer Chris DeLong Jr.
DeLong, 28, was killed Aug. 29 while responding to a domestic violence call in Columbia.
He died in a shootout at Southeast Park off Garners Ferry Road. A second officer, David Dymock, was shot and injured in the same incident but was reported in stable condition, according to Fox News. The suspect, Adam Tyler Dowdy, 33, was also killed.
The UCSO said in a Facebook post that deputies made the trip to stand alongside fellow officers, family and community members honoring DeLong's life and service, the Enquirer Journal reported. The exact number of deputies who attended was not specified.
The Union County Sheriff's Office, based in Monroe, serves Waxhaw, Weddington, Marvin and Wesley Chapel.
DeLong's funeral drew hundreds of officers from across South Carolina and beyond, including from Colorado, Texas, Illinois and New York, according to the Post and Courier. South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster, Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette, Attorney General Alan Wilson, U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson and Columbia Mayor Daniel Rickenmann attended the service at Riverland Hills Baptist Church.
Rickenmann announced that Columbia Police Chief Skip Holbrook had posthumously promoted DeLong to lance corporal. Holbrook delivered the eulogy, closing with: "We have the watch from here."
DeLong joined the Columbia Police Department on June 10, 2024, and graduated from the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy in January 2025. He is survived by his wife, Hannah, and two children: Stella, 6, and Sutton, 2, according to the Post and Courier.
His death was the first time a Columbia officer was shot and killed in the line of duty since Lt. Philip George Schlatterer on July 25, 1974, according to the Officer Down Memorial Page.
The Columbia Police Department is accepting donations on behalf of DeLong's family through Serve & Connect's Tragedy Response Program. Monetary donations and gift cards can be brought to CPD headquarters at 1 Justice Square in downtown Columbia.
