A Greenville, South Carolina, police officer was ambushed while sitting in his patrol car after a suspect pulled alongside him and opened fire in an attack captured on surveillance video.
Authorities said the incident ended hours later with the suspect dead following a shootout with law enforcement, as reported by The New York Post.
Video released by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division shows a vehicle entering a parking lot and stopping directly next to the driver’s side of a marked patrol car.
A police officer in Greenville, South Carolina was shot while sitting in the parking lot of the Greenville County Law Enforcement Center in downtown on Sunday.
Suspect, David Lane, 42, later died by suicide following a pursuit and OIS.
Officer is back home recovering. pic.twitter.com/vmnyiDTD6f
— Cody Alcorn (@CodyAlcorn) January 13, 2026
Within seconds, flashes of gunfire erupt in the darkness as the suspect fires multiple rounds into the patrol vehicle before driving away, leaving the officer wounded inside.
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The injured officer was rushed to a hospital for treatment and has since been released, authorities said.
Greenville County Sheriff Hobart Lewis said deputies later located the suspect’s vehicle, triggering a brief pursuit.
Investigators said multiple exchanges of gunfire occurred during the chase, which ended when the suspect crashed his vehicle. The suspect was found dead inside the car.
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.
According to a statement from the sheriff’s office, deputies received multiple complaints from neighbors on 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 meet the legal standard required to obtain 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 additional security.
That measure began on Jan. 8 to help ensure the safety of residents at the complex.
A mother whose daughter lived at the apartment 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 that Lane had been stalking her daughter and other residents and had made threatening statements.
Following the ambush, both the Greenville Police Department and the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office requested that SLED take over the investigation.
SLED said it will conduct a full, independent review of the incident, including witness interviews and forensic testing, before submitting its findings to prosecutors. Officials said no additional details are being released at this time.
The agency noted that the ambush 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.
Authorities have not indicated whether any additional suspects are being sought. The investigation remains ongoing.
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