A Greenville, South Carolina, police officer was ambushed while seated in a marked patrol car when a separate vehicle pulled up alongside and an occupant opened fire, surveillance footage released by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) shows. The video captures a vehicle stopping beside the patrol car and multiple muzzle flashes before the shooter flees, leaving the officer wounded inside.
What the Footage Shows
The surveillance video shows a vehicle pulling into a parking lot and stopping directly next to the driver’s side of a marked patrol car. Seconds later, flashes consistent with gunfire are visible and the vehicle departs. The injured officer was transported to a hospital and has since been released, authorities said.
Damage is visible on a Greenville police patrol vehicle after a shooting that police said targeted a single officer.
Pursuit and Outcome
Greenville County deputies later located the suspect’s vehicle and pursued it. Officials reported multiple exchanges of gunfire during the chase. The pursuit ended when the suspect’s car crashed; emergency personnel found the suspect dead inside the vehicle. The Greenville County Coroner identified him as David William Lane, 42.
"This incident stemmed from an ambush-style attack against a Greenville city officer," Greenville County Sheriff Hobart Lewis said.
Background And Earlier Contacts
The Greenville County Sheriff’s Office told Fox News Digital it had prior contacts with Lane before the ambush. Deputies received multiple complaints from neighbors on Jan. 1 and Jan. 2 about Lane’s comments and behavior. After investigating, deputies concluded the reported conduct, while concerning, did not meet the legal standard to obtain a criminal arrest warrant at that time.
A second view shows damage to a Greenville police patrol vehicle after a shooting that police said was an ambush targeting one officer.
Out of an abundance of caution, administrators at the Hunting Downs apartment complex coordinated with the sheriff’s office to hire off-duty deputies for additional security beginning Jan. 8. A resident provided security video to a local outlet that appears to show Lane approaching an apartment earlier in the month while carrying a firearm; the resident said he had been stalking and making threats toward others at the complex.
Investigation
SLED was asked by both the Greenville Police Department and the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office to lead the inquiry into the ambush. The agency said it will conduct a thorough, independent investigation that includes witness interviews and forensic testing before submitting its findings to prosecutors. No further details have been released at this time.
Context
SLED noted this was the second officer-involved shooting in South Carolina in 2026 and the first this year involving the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office. The agency reported 45 officer-involved shootings statewide in 2025, seven of which involved the county sheriff’s office.
