Wrong‑Way Crash During Teen Pursuit Kills S.C. Police Officer

A South Carolina police K-9 officer was killed Wednesday in a wrong-way collision involving a teen driver fleeing authorities.

Greenwood Police Officer Don “DJ” Keller was responding to help officers chasing a 15-year-old driver who fled a traffic stop at "a high rate of speed, the department said in a news release. Shortly before 5 p.m., an officer attempted to stop the driver’s blue Jeep, which was linked to several prior shooting incidents, the department said.

During the pursuit, the driver crossed into oncoming traffic and crashed into Keller’s cruiser. The officer was pronounced dead at the scene.

“That officer did nothing wrong,” Chief T.J. Chaudoin said during a news conference. “He was just serving our community, doing what I asked.”

Keller’s K-9 partner, Vice, was in the cruiser at the time of the collision but was uninjured. The 15-year-old driver, along with two teenage passengers, was taken to a hospital.

Keller joined the department in March 2023 and became a K-9 officer in 2025. He served in the Army from 2016 to 2020 and was a member of the state National Guard.

“Today is an extremely difficult day for our department and our community as we mourn the life of a man that dedicated his life to the serving and protecting of others,” the department stated.

The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division is investigating the crash.

A memorial fund has been created to support Keller’s family. He is survived by his wife and 2-year-old daughter.