a city police officer, Don “DJ” Keller, a 31-year-old K-9 handler and U.S. Army veteran, was killed Monday evening when a teenage driver fleeing a traffic stop in a blue Jeep crossed into oncoming traffic on East Cambridge Avenue and struck his patrol vehicle head-on, according to the city police force, state troopers and Gov. Henry McMaster. The crash makes Keller the first Greenwood officer killed in the line of duty since 1956.
According to coverage from regional outlets, the city police chief, T.J. Chaudoin said an officer attempted a traffic stop shortly before 5 p.m. Monday on a blue Jeep that investigators believed had been involved in several prior shooting-related incidents. The driver fled at high speed, and the Jeep crossed into oncoming traffic on East Cambridge Avenue, where it struck Keller’s patrol vehicle. A separate national-newsroom report, citing public-radio reporting from Chief Chaudoin, specified that the head-on collision happened near the intersection of East Cambridge Avenue and Ames Street South. Keller was pronounced dead at the scene.
The officer
The the city police force identified the officer Tuesday as 31-year-old Don “DJ” Keller. According to regional coverage, Keller previously served in the U.S. Army and worked with the the Greenville city police force before transferring to Greenwood in March 2023. He became a K-9 handler in 2025. His K-9 partner, Vice, was in the patrol vehicle at the time of the crash but was not injured. Keller is survived by his wife of 10 years, Alison, and the couple’s 2-year-old daughter.
A national-newsroom syndication of the case noted that Keller had served as a police officer for three years after his time in the military and was a member of the state Army National Guard. The the city police force, in a statement carried by regional outlets, described Keller as a man who had dedicated his life to serving and protecting others and said the loss was being felt deeply across the entire department and community.
The suspects
investigators identified the Jeep’s occupants as a 15-year-old driver and two passengers, ages 17 and 18, according to coverage from regional outlets. All three were taken to the hospital. State troopers, who are leading the investigation, confirmed that one of the passengers was released from the hospital Tuesday and transported to the state Department of Juvenile Justice’s facility in Columbia. The rear passenger and the 15-year-old driver remained hospitalized; authorities have not publicly released their conditions. The 15-year-old has been arrested on charges connected to the crash, though the specific charges had not been released as of Wednesday morning.
A national-newsroom account, citing Chief Chaudoin, noted that investigators believed the teenage driver had previously been connected to several shooting-related incidents in Greenwood — the basis for the attempted traffic stop that preceded the fatal pursuit.
The escort home
Coverage from regional outlets noted that Officer Keller’s body was escorted from Abbeville back to Greenwood on Wednesday afternoon, passing through the Greenwood town square on Main Street around 1 p.m. Residents were invited to gather on the square between 1 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. to pay respects. A candlelight vigil for Officer Keller is planned for 6 p.m. Friday at A Quaint Little Place, 448 Calhoun Avenue in Greenwood. The the city police force asked attendees to bring flowers as a symbol of love, hope and remembrance.
State response
Gov. Henry McMaster ordered flags above the State House lowered to half-staff on the day of Keller’s funeral. In a statement carried by regional outlets, McMaster said South Carolina mourned the tragic loss of a city police officer, Don Keller, who had been killed in the line of duty the previous day, and he asked South Carolinians to join him and the first lady in praying for Keller’s loved ones and the Greenwood community.
Sen. Lindsey Graham said on X that he was heartbroken after Keller’s death, calling Keller a U.S. Army veteran and member of the state Army National Guard whose loss was a somber reminder of the dangers officers face on a daily basis. Sen. Tim Scott described Keller as an Upstate officer who had dedicated his life to keeping the community safe and had made the ultimate sacrifice in doing so. Attorney General Alan Wilson and Congresswoman Nancy Mace also released statements of condolence carried by regional outlets.
Why the Upstate is watching
Greenwood sits roughly 60 miles southwest of Spartanburg along the U.S. 221 / U.S. 25 corridor, in the same state highway patrol service area that overlaps the southern edge of Spartanburg County. Officer line-of-duty deaths in South Carolina trigger statewide response protocols that touch Spartanburg’s law-enforcement agencies — Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office, Spartanburg PD, Boiling Springs PD and others typically dispatch honor-guard contingents to LODD services anywhere in the state. The candlelight vigil Friday in Greenwood is open to attendees from across the Upstate.
The fact pattern — a stopped officer struck head-on by a fleeing suspect vehicle that crossed the centerline — also lands in the same category state troopers and SLED have been tracking statewide: pursuit-related officer fatalities. State troopers are leading the collision investigation; the city police force’s internal pursuit review is separate. Both agencies’ findings will eventually feed back into the state’s Criminal Justice Academy pursuit-training curriculum that every Spartanburg-area officer cycles through.
