FOREST ACRES, S.C. (AP) – A police officer responding to a report of a suspicious person was fatally shot at a suburban South Carolina mall on Wednesday, and police say the suspect is charged with murder.
Police first got a call on the shooting about 8 a.m., Forest Acres police Chief Gene Sealy told reporters. Two officers responded and attempted to talk to Jarvis Hall, who fled on foot and ran through parts of Richland Mall, including the Barnes and Noble bookstore, officials said.
Officer Greg Alia confronted Hall, there was a struggle, and he was shot, Sealy said.
Alia was taken to a hospital and later died, officials said. No other injuries were reported.
The State Law Enforcement Division charged Hall with murder and possession of a weapon during commission of a violent crime Wednesday afternoon. He killed Alia with a .40-caliber handgun that had been stolen from neighboring Lexington County in early September, according to arrest warrants.