Graham Michael Pope, a 39-year-old White/Caucasian man, was fatally shot on April 8, 2024, while at work at the JT’s Kia dealership on Greystone Boulevard in Columbia, South Carolina. Pope worked in digital marketing for the dealership and had been employed there for about two years. Shortly after 3 p.m., gunfire erupted at the business. Columbia police were notified at approximately 3:04 p.m., and responding officers found Pope inside a vehicle several minutes later suffering from multiple
gunshot wounds. He was rushed to a hospital but died from his injuries later that day.
Investigators identified Westley Tyler Gross as the person accused of carrying out the shooting. Authorities later alleged that Gross had waited in the dealership parking lot before approaching the vehicle Pope was in and firing repeatedly through the driver’s-side window and windshield. Early reports described Pope as having been shot multiple times while seated inside the vehicle. Pope’s family said there was no known relationship between the two. His sister, Brooke Pope, said they did not move in the same social circles and rejected speculation that the killing stemmed from a romantic dispute or a drug transaction. Police also said they had not established a motive.
Witnesses gave officers a description of a gray Ford Mustang connected to the shooting. Police located the Mustang on River Drive minutes later and attempted to stop it with emergency lights and sirens, but authorities said Gross accelerated away. The resulting pursuit moved through Columbia as officers tried to apprehend him. During the response, a Columbia police officer traveling toward the incident collided with a Toyota at North Main Street and Prescott Road. The Toyota’s driver, Ashley Brown, who was pregnant, later died along with her unborn child. Another vehicle was also involved in that collision, and the police officer suffered a leg injury requiring surgery.
The pursuit of Gross continued for just over eight minutes. Police said he eventually drove onto Shady Lane, crashed near a wooded area behind a residence, abandoned the Mustang and attempted to flee on foot. Officers captured him a short time later. Authorities reported finding two firearms and multiple rounds of ammunition associated with the vehicle. Gross was arrested and charged with murder, possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime and failure to stop for a blue light and siren. He was taken to the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center.
At the time of Pope’s killing, Gross was already free on bond in connection with a previous firearms-related case. Records reviewed by local news organizations showed that in 2023 he had been accused of pointing a firearm at an apartment-complex employee following an argument about driving and later firing a shot into the air. He had posted a $10,000 bond in that case. His record also included earlier arrests involving disorderly conduct and drug-related allegations. Those earlier matters were separate from Pope’s killing.
Pope’s death deeply affected his family and coworkers. His sister remembered him as funny, kindhearted and caring, and said he had recently returned from attending the Chicago Cubs’ opening day at Wrigley Field. His obituary described him as a Spring Valley High School graduate and a fan of the Gamecocks, the Cubs and the band Phish. Family members were left struggling not only with the suddenness of the killing but also with the unanswered question of why Pope apparently became the target.
The criminal case remained unresolved more than two years after the shooting. During a July 8, 2026 court hearing, Gross’s attorneys formally confirmed that they intended to pursue an insanity defense, while making clear they were not arguing that he was incompetent to stand trial. Gross had undergone both a privately arranged mental-health evaluation and an evaluation by the South Carolina Department of Mental Health. Prosecutors told the court that the state evaluation found him competent to stand trial but concluded that he was not criminally responsible at the time of the alleged shooting. Prosecutors disputed that conclusion and sought permission for an independent psychiatric examination.
During that hearing, prosecutors also presented their account of the shooting, alleging that Gross waited at the dealership before approaching Pope’s vehicle and opening fire through the window and windshield. They further told the court that Gross was later overheard speaking with another detainee about being jailed for murder and discussing the type of ammunition involved. The defense objected to the prosecution’s request for another psychiatric examination, arguing that Gross had already been evaluated twice. The judge took the matter under advisement without immediately ruling. As of the most recent publicly available reporting located, Gross remained accused of Pope’s murder and the case had not yet resulted in a reported trial or conviction.
