Video shows police officer ambushed in patrol car in explosion of gunfire; suspect found dead after shootout
A Greenville, South Carolina, police officer was ambushed in his patrol car after a suspect pulled up beside him and opened fire in an attack captured on surveillance video and ending with the gunman dead.
Video released by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) shows a vehicle pulling into a parking lot and stopping directly alongside 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 inside the patrol car.
The wounded officer was rushed to a hospital for treatment and has since been released.
Greenville County Sheriff Hobart Lewis said deputies later located the suspect’s vehicle, setting off a brief pursuit.
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Authorities say there were multiple exchanges of gunfire during the chase, which ended with a crash and the suspect dead inside his vehicle. The Greenville County Coroner identified the suspect as David William Lane, 42.
"This incident stemmed from an ambush-style attack against a Greenville city officer," Lewis said.
The Greenville County Sheriff’s Office confirmed to Fox News Digital that it had prior contact with Lane before Sunday’s ambush. In a statement, the sheriff’s office said deputies received multiple complaints from neighbors Jan. 1 and Jan. 2 regarding Lane’s comments and behavior.
Deputies responded to and investigated each complaint, determining that while the behavior was concerning, it did not rise to the level required for a criminal arrest warrant.
Out of an abundance of caution, the sheriff’s office said administrators at the Hunting Downs apartment complex coordinated with deputies to hire off-duty sheriff’s deputies for security. That detail began on Jan. 8 to help ensure the safety of residents.
A mother whose daughter lived at the complex shared security video with Fox Carolina that appears to show Lane approaching her daughter’s apartment earlier this month while carrying a gun. The woman told the outlet Lane had been stalking her daughter and others at the complex and made threatening statements.
SLED was asked to investigate the ambush by both the Greenville Police Department and the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office. The agency says it will conduct a thorough, independent investigation, including witness interviews and forensic testing, before submitting its findings to prosecutors. No additional details are being released at this time.
The agency said the incident marks 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 recorded 45 officer-involved shootings in 2025, seven of which involved the sheriff’s office.