COLUMBIA, S.C. — An employee of a car dealership has been killed and a person had died in a car collision, all related to an incident that began Monday afternoon, according to Columbia Police.
The situation started with a shooting at 180 Greystone Boulevard, which is a Kia dealerships along that stretch of road. When police arrived they found a male victim with life-threatening injuries. He has died of his injuries.
The Richland County Coroner identified the victim as Graham Pope, 39.
Pope was an employee of the car dealership, Gross was not, so police aren't sure if there's a connection between the two men. "We don't know if this was a random act of violence or not," Columbia Police Deputy Chief Melron Kelly said.
The suspect, identified by police as 28-year-old Westley Gross, drove away from the scene, taking officers on a police pursuit through downtown Columbia, according to police. Police say they followed the Gross in his getaway vehicle to 2200 block of Shady Lane near Forest Acres, where Gross crashed in the backyard of a home. He was captured on scene.
During the pursuit, a Columbia police vehicle that was responding to the incident collided with another car at the intersection of North Main Street and Prescott Road. The South Carolina Highway Patrol said the car was driving down Prescott while the patrol car was on North Main. The driver of the car was taken to the hospital where that person died of their injuries. The police officer was taken to the hospital to be treated for his injuries.
That crash remains under investigation by the South Carolina Highway Patrol.
Gross is accused of hitting multiple vehicles during his attempted getaway, according to police. He has been charged with murder and possession of a weapon during a violent crime.
