COLUMBIA, SC (WIS) – Columbia police officers shot and killed a suspect they believe shot an officer in the chest during a traffic stop early Wednesday morning in the Shandon neighborhood.
After an extensive search, Chief Randy Scott says the suspect, 22-year-old Blakely Jernigan, was shot and killed by police near the intersection of Woodrow Street and Blossom Street.
Scott identified the officer who was wounded as Alexander S. Broder. The young officer had only been patrolling the streets for five days before being shot in the line of duty.
Broder and another officer were dispatched to the area around 4:50 a.m. after a citizen complained about a suspicious vehicle in the area, according to the chief.
The officers made contact with Jernigan's vehicle and pulled him over near the intersection of King Street and Wilmot Avenue. Scott says Jernigan almost immediately shot Broder as the officer was approaching the suspect's vehicle. Broder was hit in the chest and the suspect fled the scene.
Broder's bulletproof vest stopped the bullet and he was taken to the hospital for treatment. Scott says Broder is doing fine.
"This just goes to show the protective gear works," said Scott. "The bulletproof vest absolutely saved his life."
Scott said officers located Jernigan later Wednesday morning at a home in the 2700 block of Blossom Street.
Negotiators had convinced Jernigan to come out of the home, according to Scott, but the suspect opened fire on SWAT officers with an AK-47 rifle as he stepped out of the home. Officers returned fire and killed Jernigan, according to the chief.
It was unclear if the weapon being carried by Jernigan at the time of his death had been used earlier in the assault on Officer Broder.
At least one daycare in the area opened late because of the investigation. Police asked the child development center at Shandon Presbyterian Church to stay closed until 9:00 a.m., according to an assistant director there.
Hand Middle School opened as scheduled. Car riders were not affected, but buses did not drop students off on the King Street side of the school, according to a Richland One spokesperson.
Police still have some streets in the immediate area closed because of the investigation.
CPD has requested SLED's assistance to investigate the circumstances that led to suspect's death.
Officer Broder graduated from the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy with 12 other city of Columbia recruits at the beginning of April. Scott says Broder is eager to "get back out on the streets and do his job to keep the community safe."
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