West Columbia police officer shot; suspect in custody (+ video)

A West Columbia police officer is said to be in stable condition after he was shot in the head by a suspect while serving a bench warrant Tuesday afternoon.

West Columbia Police Chief Dennis Tyndall said three officers were serving a bench warrant for 51-year-old William Kernan at his residence in the 300 block of Hudson Street at 1:45 p.m. just across the street from the popular West Columbia Riverwalk.

Tyndall said when the officers approached the residence, they began speaking to Kernan through one of the windows. Kernan ducked back into the residence and fired a shot from inside the home, which went through a wall and hit the officer in the head.

The officer, a 4-year veteran of the West Columbia Police Department, was able to walk away from the residence on his own and was taken to the hospital for non-life-threatening injuries, Tyndall said. He has not yet been identified.

Several law enforcement and emergency response agencies were called in to secure a perimeter around the area and help apprehend Kernan, who surrendered several hours later without incident.

Tyndall said Kernan is known by West Columbia police.

“We have had some run-ins with him in the past,” Tyndall said. “He has had an aggravated behavior toward law enforcement before.”

Tax records show Kernan has lived at that residence for 16 years. The home is in the historic New Brookland Mill Village and is just a few blocks away from the Garnet River Walk apartments, a popular off-campus University of South Carolina student housing complex.

But Tyndall said the home was recently condemned after it caught on fire. Kernan allegedly continued to live in the home, which no longer had power.

Since the shooting involved a West Columbia police officer, the State Law Enforcement Division is taking over further investigation of the case.

This story was originally published March 31, 2015 at 4:27 PM with the headline "West Columbia police officer shot; suspect in custody (+ video)."