When Alia and the other cops tried to question the man, later identified as Jarvis Hall, he ran off into the mall. Alia caught up with him and was shot during an ensuing struggle.
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Officials say a briefing will be held about the shooting at the Forest Acres Police Department at noon. Check back for updates.
The officers arrived at the mall and reportedly attempted to have a conversation with the subject, Hall.
Alia is survived by his wife, Cassie, and their infant son Sal.
A 32-year-old police officer was shot and killed in Columbia mall Wednesday morning.
About two hours after the report of the shooting, traffic was flowing smoothly, the parking garage was open, and one entrance was closed by yellow crime scene tape.
Customers pulled in and out of a gas station on the corner.
Nearby A.C. Flora High School was locked down briefly after the report of the shooting. Cowan did not say who was shot. Cowan says one person was taken to a hospital.
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Thom Berry, a South Carolina Law Enforcement Division spokesman, said SLED agents received a call for assistance from the Forest Acres Police Department shortly before 8:30 a.m.in reference to the shooting. They live in the Forest Acres area, and his parents are residents of Forest Acres. The mall is anchored by a department store, a bookstore and a theater complex.
