COLUMBIA — A pregnant woman was killed in a collision with a Columbia police officer who was responding to a call chasing down an alleged shooter.
Just after 3 p.m. on April 8, Officer Darian Davis heard a pursuit broadcast on his police radio, according to Columbia Police Chief Skip Holbrook.
A man had shot another multiple times outside a car dealership and drove off, prompting a police pursuit.
The officer immediately started driving down North Main Street. Less than a minute later, he collided with another car at the intersection of Prescott Road.
The driver, 34-year-old Ashley Brown, was six months pregnant. She died from blunt force trauma and her fetus did not survive, according to Richland County Coroner Naida Rutherford. She said the manner of death is still being investigated.
Davis was hospitalized for serious leg injuries, according to Holbrook.
"I want to express our heartfelt condolences to the family," Holbrook said. "As a parent, I can't imagine the extent of the pain her family is going through right now."
The shooting
At around 3:08 p.m. on April 8, as many were watching the partial solar eclipse, 39-year-old Graham Pope was shot multiple times while was sitting in a vehicle outside JT's Kia of Columbia on Greystone Boulevard. He later died at the hospital.
It's unclear what led up to the shooting, according to the police chief. Those at the car dealership told police they saw a grey Ford Mustang drive off.
Two minutes later, at 3:10 p.m., a Columbia Police officer saw the Mustang on River Drive. The officer turned on the blue lights and sirens, attempting to pull over the car for a traffic stop. The driver accelerated and drove off toward North Main Street, prompting a pursuit.
Columbia Police Chief Skip Holbrook gives a press conference on the fatal shooting at a car dealership and the fatal collision involving a responding officer.
The collision
Officer Darian Davis heard the call broadcasting the pursuit. He had just cleared another call for service on the 6100 block of North Main Street and immediately started driving toward River Drive.
Less than a minute later, he collided with a 2023 Toyota Sedan. Brown, who was six months pregnant, was behind the wheel.
Another vehicle, a 2010 Honda van, which was stopped in the roadway, was also struck.
The drivers of all three vehicles were sent to the hospital. Brown later died and her death is still being investigated by the coroner's office.
The collision is under investigation by the S.C. Highway Patrol. Under state law, the S.C. Highway Patrol investigates all collisions involving a law enforcement agency and other motorists, according to Holbrook.
An alleged shooter crashed into a wooded area in a Columbia neighborhood following a police pursuit on April 8.
"We will conduct a separate administrative review of the collision to determine if any of our policies and procedures were violated," Holbrook said.
Davis, an Army veteran, has been with the department since January 2023 and is in good standing with no disciplinary issues, according to the police chief.
The pursuit
Police chased the alleged shooter, 28-year-old Westley Gross, for several miles across three police regions in a pursuit that lasted eight minutes and 13 seconds, according to Holbrook.
At 3:16 p.m., Gross turned on to Shady Lane in the Lake Katherine neighborhood. He was driving toward a dead end.
Gross drove through a resident's driveway and crashed in the woods, the police chief said. He got out of the car and ran into the woods, Holbrook said.
A man was arrested after a shooting at a car dealership that led to a police pursuit.
Police found two firearms with multiple rounds of ammunition, the police chief said. He added that officers still don't know what Gross's intent was.
Police arrested Gross on charges of murder, possession of a weapon during a violent crime, and failure to stop for blue lights and sirens. Gross was already out on a $10,000 surety bond for breach of peace of high and aggravated nature, as well as presenting a firearm at a person.
Gross is being held at the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center without bond.
