Greenwood police officer dies in crash involving 15-year-old driver who was speeding, chief says

A 31-year-old officer in Greenwood, South Carolina, died Monday when a 15-year-old driver hit his patrol vehicle at a high rate of speed while trying to "elude law enforcement," according to Greenwood Police Chief T.J. Chaudoin. (Watch full news conference on Tuesday morning above) Chaudoin said that just before 5 p.m., a Greenwood police officer tried to pull over a car that "had been involved in several prior shooting-related incidents."The driver did not stop and drove away "at a high rate of speed," Chaudoin said during a news conference on Tuesday morning. Chaudoin said "during the attempt to evade law enforcement," the 15-year-old driver crossed into oncoming traffic on East Cambridge Avenue and collided with officer DJ Keller's vehicle. Troopers said the vehicles hit head-on. Chaudoin said Keller was responding to assist the other officers when his vehicle was hit. Keller died at the scene. His K9, Vice, was in the car but was not injured. Video below: Greenwood police chief talks about officer killed in line of duty"That officer did nothing wrong," Chaudoin said. "He was just serving our community. Doing what I asked." The driver of the Jeep, a 15-year-old boy, and two passengers, 17- and 18-year-old males, were all taken for treatment at a medical facility. The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division is investigating the case. Keller's careerKeller began his career in March 2023 with the Greenwood Police Department.In 2025, he became a K9 officer. Keller served in the United States Army from 2016 to 2020. He was then an active member of the South Carolina National Guard. He is survived by his wife and 2-year-old daughter. Keep up with what's happening around our area by downloading the WYFF News 4 app on the App Store or Google Play.