Haley orders flags at half-staff to honor slain officer

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley has ordered flags on state property to be flown at half-staff to honor the police officer who was shot and killed at a suburban mall.

Haley also asked Friday that flags across the state be lowered Saturday in memory of Forest Acres officer Greg Alia. His funeral is Saturday in Columbia.

The 32-year-old officer was fatally shot after responding to a report of a suspicious person at Richland Mall.

Alia was a seven-year veteran of his small police force, a new father and a lifelong resident of the Columbia area.

The State Law Enforcement Division has charged 34-year-old Jarvis Hall with murder and possession of a weapon during a violent crime.

Arrest warrants state that Alia was killed with a .40-caliber handgun stolen last month.