GREENVILLE, S.C. — Police officers fatally shot a man minutes after he killed a bicyclist during an argument near a South Carolina park Sunday morning, authorities said.
David “Whit” Oliver was on the phone with 911 reporting he was being harassed when operators heard gunshots, Greenville Police Chief Howie Thompson said.
Eight minutes later, officers pulled over the man, identified as Jeffrey Mark Murray, about a mile (1.6 kilometers) from where witnesses said he shot the cyclist. Murray then got in a gunfight with a officer and a recruit he was training, Thompson said at a news conference.
Murray, 62, was shot and died a short time later, the Greenville County Coroner’s Office said.
Oliver, 44, died at the scene of the first shooting, authorities said.
Investigators are still trying to figure out what led Murray to kill Oliver, the chief said.
Oliver was an avid cyclist and was riding his bike near his home by Greenville’s Legacy Park when he was killed around 11 a.m. Sunday, Thompson said.
He gave 911 dispatchers Murray’s name before he was shot, Thompson said.
Murray lived about 6 miles (10 kilometers) from the crime scene.
The chief credited witnesses to the shooting for helping them find Murray quickly by giving officers the tag number of the vehicle he left in, the direction he was driving and a good description of what he looked like.
“We were able to stop this suspect and keep him from doing anything else today,” Thompson said.
The State Law Enforcement Division is investigating the shooting by the officers, while Greenville police are investigating the death of the cyclist.
There is body camera footage of the police shooting, and the officers tried to save Murray’s life with first aid after he was shot, Thompson said.
