Officer killed in head-on crash involving fleeing suspect in Greenwood

GREENWOOD, S.C. (WSPA) - An investigation is underway after an officer with the Greenwood Police Department was killed in a crash during a high-speed chase Monday afternoon. The crash occurred just before 5 p.m. at the intersection of East Cambridge Avenue and Ames Street. During a news conference Tuesday morning, police identified the officer who was killed as 31-year-old Don "DJ" Keller. Keller had been with Greenwood Police Department since 2023, and became a K9 officer in 2025. Police said his K9, Vice, was not injured in the crash. Keller served in the United States Army from 2016 - 2020 and remained an active National Guard member. According to the Greenwood Police Department, an officer attempted to conduct a traffic stop on a Jeep that has been involved in multiple prior shooting-related incidents. Police said the driver of the Jeep sped away from the attempted stop and, while trying to evade police, crossed into oncoming traffic and struck Keller's police SUV as he was responding to assist. Keller died from his injuries at the scene. The 15-year-old driver of the Jeep along with two passengers, ages 17 and 18, were taken to area hospitals for treatment. Their conditions are not known at this time. South Carolina Highway Patrol and their Multi-disciplinary Accident Investigation Team will be handling the investigation into the chase and crash. “The whole street was blocked off," said Bre, who lives nearby. "I’m just seeing people turning around, people walking, just trying to see what was going on. It was just a lot of chaos people everywhere.” Video posted to social media showed a Greenwood Police Department SUV and a Jeep that had collided, the Jeep then caught fire. “This is every day. It's either a police chase or somebody’s been shooting but right now a life has been taken and not just any life but a police officer's life,” the neighbor told 7NEWS. "This has got to stop," she said further. "A life has been taken. We don’t want to lose any more. This just has to stop.” This is a developing story. Stay up to date with 7NEWS on the air and online as more information is made available.