3rd suspect sought in killing of Richland K9 deputy. ‘We’re going to get you,’ sheriff says
Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott gave details Friday about the third suspect in this week’s shooting death of a K9 deputy.
Damian Rashawn Brown, 17, is being sought by the Richland County Sheriff’s Department. On Monday, Brown and two other teens led deputies on a chase in a stolen car, authorities said. A subsequent foot chase led to the shooting death of Bumi, a 4-year-old Belgian Malinois.
“We’re going to get you, so you can turn yourself in now, or you can suffer the consequences of us finding you, and we will find you,” Lott said Friday after a processional for Bumi. “That is a promise.”
A steady stream of law enforcement vehicles with blue lights flashing and sirens wailing slowly traveled to McAlister-Smith Funeral & Cremation along State Street in West Columbia as a light drizzle began to fall Friday morning. The procession traveled about 11 miles from 1 Science Court in Richland County to 200 State St. in tribute to the service and death of Bumi, whose handler was Deputy Alan Ware.
“This is the third (K9) we’ve lost this year,” Lott said after the processional. “It’s a war out there. Our Deputy Ware is suffering, his family and his kids are suffering. That dog was part of their family. Now it’s just been snatched away for no reason whatsoever.”
Bumi’s death stems from an incident that began near the 7400 block of Parklane Road a little before 2:30 a.m. on Monday, when a deputy spotted a car that had been reported stolen in Columbia on Sunday, according to the sheriff. A chase followed that Lott said ended in the Greenview community after a deputy used a stop stick to deflate the stolen vehicle’s tires.
Two teenagers ran away, while a 16-year-old was stopped from getting out of the vehicle and was detained at gunpoint, according to Lott. The 16-year-old juvenile was charged with obstruction of justice and misprision.
A 13-year-old, suspected of shooting Bumi, was arrested on Tuesday and faces a list of charges, including attempted murder, unlawful killing of a police dog, malicious injury to personal property over $10,000, breach of peace in a high and aggravated nature, possession of a weapon under 18, unlawful carrying of a weapon, possession of a weapon during a violent crime and possession of a stolen vehicle, according to the sheriff’s department.
Lott said Brown was driving the stolen car. He is charged with accessory after attempted murder.
Brown “was the one that failed to stop, and he also assisted the 13-year-old after the shooting,” Lott said.
Ware and Bumi were among the deputies on the scene following a pursuit of the stolen car. Bumi took off after one of the teens and ran out of sight. Shortly thereafter, Ware and other deputies heard gunshots, according to Lott.
Ware and other deputies ran to where they heard the gunfire and found Bumi near the 100 block of Alida Street. The K9 had been shot at least three times, according to the sheriff. While the police dog was wearing a protective vest, the bullets struck Bumi in the chest, Lott said.
Arrangements for Bumi’s remains have not yet been determined, according to the sheriff’s department. Friday’s processional moved his body from a clinical building to McAlister-Smith Funeral & Cremation where such arrangements can proceed. A possible memorial service is forthcoming, the department said.
