Columbia Police Officer Chris DeLong, 28, was killed in the line of duty Saturday, August 29, leaving behind a wife and two young children, a department grieving one of its own, and family, friends, and loved ones facing a loss that will extend far beyond the days immediately following his death.

DeLong had served with the Columbia Police Department for two years.

According to Columbia Police Chief W.H. “Skip” Holbrook, DeLong was dispatched Saturday morning to a home on Holstein Lane for a reported domestic disturbance. A woman told police that a man against whom she had a restraining order had been at the home causing a disturbance and damaging property before leaving.

DeLong later reported locating a person and vehicle matching the description at Southeast Park. Officer David Dymock arrived to assist him. Minutes later, Dymock radioed that both officers had been shot.

DeLong died from his injuries. Dymock was injured and reported in stable condition following the shooting. The suspect was also killed during the incident.

For the Columbia Police Department, DeLong’s death marks a loss the department had not experienced in more than half a century. The last Columbia police officer shot and killed in the line of duty was Lt. Philip George Schlatterer in 1974.

A Family and a Law Enforcement Community Grieving

Behind the uniform was a husband and father.

DeLong leaves behind his wife, Hannah, and their two young children. They now face a future profoundly changed by what happened Saturday morning.

There are others hurting, too.

There are parents, relatives, friends, and loved ones grieving Chris. Columbia police officers lost a coworker and friend. Officers knew him, trained with him, worked beside him, or shared the ordinary moments of a profession that creates bonds difficult to explain to those outside it.

And officers across South Carolina may never have met Chris but understand the weight of losing one of their own.

Grief will look different for each of them. Some will want to talk. Others may not. Some of the hardest moments may come later, after the services have ended and much of the public attention has moved elsewhere.

Pray for them.

Check on the people who are hurting. Listen when someone needs to talk. Sit with them when no words can make what happened better. Be the shoulder a family member, friend, or fellow officer needs.

And keep doing it in the weeks and months ahead.

Supporting Officer DeLong’s Family

Several fundraising efforts are available for those who want to support Officer DeLong’s family financially.

Officer DeLong’s Family Fund

The Officer DeLong’s Family Fund has been established through GiveSendGo to support Hannah and the couple’s two young children:

Serve & Connect

Serve & Connect has also established an Officer Chris DeLong Memorial Fund through its Tragedy Response Program. The organization states that 100 percent of donations to the memorial fund will go directly to the DeLong family:

Memorial Bracelets

Officer Christopher DeLong Jr.’s memorial bracelets are being offered with approval of his family. Proceeds will be sent to the South Carolina FOP Lodge to be provided to his wife.

Created by the LazerWerk Memorial Bracelet Foundation.

Memorial Challenge Coin

Candlelight Vigil

A candlelight vigil honoring Officer Christopher DeLong Jr. will be held Wednesday, September 2, at 7:00 p.m. at the Elgin Community Center, 2427 Main Street in Elgin. The gathering will bring together family, friends, fellow law enforcement officers, and members of the community to remember Officer DeLong and the life he shared with those around him. Members of the public are invited to attend and join in honoring his memory and supporting those who knew and loved him.

Funeral Arrangements

A visitation will be held at Dunbar Funeral Home, 3926 Devine St, Columbia, South Carolina 29205, on Thursday, September 3, 2026, from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm.

A Funeral Honoring Chris’ Life will take place at Riverland Hills Baptist Church, 201 Lake Murray Blvd, Irmo, SC, on Friday, September 4, 2026, at 11:00 am, with burial honors following the service at Greenhaven Memorial Gardens, 11020 Two Notch Rd, Elgin, SC.

A full obituary will be posted in the coming days.

Dunbar Funeral Home is assisting the family with arrangements.

Difficult Days Ahead

Difficult days lie ahead for Hannah and their children, for Chris’s family and friends, and for the officers who served beside him.

Keep them in your prayers. Keep checking on them. When someone needs to talk, listen. When someone needs a shoulder, be there.

Attention around a tragedy eventually fades. The loss carried by the people who loved Officer Chris DeLong does not.