Young officer who recently welcomed baby shot & killed inside South Carolina shopping mall

SOUTH CAROLINA --  Authorities say a 34-year-old man who shot and killed a police officer at a South Carolina shopping mall has been charged with murder.

The State Law Enforcement Division said Jarvis Hall of Eastover, South Carolina was arrested right after the shooting, which happened about 8:00 a.m. Wednesday, September 30th at Richland Mall in Forest Acres, a town near Columbia.

Forest Acres Police Officer Greg Alia and family (PHOTO: GoFundMe.com)

Forest Acres Police Chief Gene Sealy says 32-year-old Officer Greg Alia was shot as he chased Hall through the mall before the stores opened. The officer was responding to a call of a suspicious person.

An arrest warrant says Alia was shot with a .40-caliber handgun stolen in early September. Hall is also charged with possession of a weapon during a violent crime.

Hall hasn't had a bond hearing and it wasn't known if he had a lawyer.

Richland Mall officer-involved shooting

 

A GoFundMe page for the officer killed has netted more than $12,000 in donations. That was the total as of 2:00 p.m. Wednesday, several hours after the shooting.

Patrick Walsh of Ruston, Louisiana, started the page.

Walsh says he and Officer Alia were in Phi Sigma Kappa fraternity at the University of South Carolina. Walsh described Alia as a caring soul who loved to laugh and help others.

Walsh says his friend embodied characteristics that would be helpful in law enforcement.

Walsh says: "He was never confrontational. That's an incredible quality to have."

Eighty-one-year-old Joan Woodward lived next door to Alia's parents and says she'd known him since he was a baby.

She says: "When my husband died eight years ago, he was so sweet. He came and sat with me. God always takes the angels."

 

Chief Sealy says Alia was 32 years old and a seven-year veteran of the department. Sealy says Alia and wife Kassy recently had a baby.