‘He loved being a deputy.’ Funeral plans set for Richland County deputy killed in crash

Noah Feit
·2 min read
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The Richland County Sheriff’s Department shared the funeral arrangements for Deputy Jacob Salrin, who was killed in a crash.

The 23-year-old Salrin was on duty Friday night when the vehicle he was driving collided with a tractor trailer, according to the sheriff’s department. Salrin died at the scene, the sheriff’s department said.

On Wednesday, a visitation will be held at Dunbar Funeral Home, from 5-8 p.m., according to the sheriff’s department.

A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday at the Meeting Place Church, the sheriff’s department said. Burial will follow at Elmwood Cemetery.

Richland County Sheriff’s Deputy Jacob Eric Salrin, 23, died in a fatal vehicle collision on Sept. 29, 2023.
Richland County Sheriff’s Deputy Jacob Eric Salrin, 23, died in a fatal vehicle collision on Sept. 29, 2023.

Salrin was a native of Springfield, Illinois and graduated from Washington Community High School in 2019, according to his obituary.

Salrin was hired by in Richland County in 2022, and in January 2023, he graduated from the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy, according to the sheriff’s department. Salrin was awarded the criminal justice academy’s “Clifford Moyer Marksmanship Award,” the sheriff’s department said.

As a patrol deputy, he was assigned to southeast Richland County.

“Jacob’s desire to help people led him to join this profession ... he loved being a deputy and working at the Richland County Sheriff’s Department; making the ultimate sacrifice doing what he loved,” according to his obituary. “While his time as a deputy was not very long, he made a tremendous impact on every life that he touched. He was a rising star at Richland County, never settling for just average but always seeking to excel in all he did. ... Days before the accident he was selected as the Deputy of the Quarter for his region, which he will receive posthumously later this month.”

The fatal crash took place at the intersection of Bluff Road and Windy Drive around 8:30 p.m. Friday, according to the South Carolina Highway Patrol.

Salrin was driving west in a 2017 Ford sedan when he collided with a 2014 Volvo tractor trailer in the eastbound lane that was making a left turn across traffic onto Windy Drive, the Highway Patrol said.

The driver of the tractor trailer was injured and transported to Prisma Health Baptist Hospital in Columbia. Further information on the tractor trailer driver’s condition was not available.

The Highway Patrol is leading the investigation.

Richland County Sheriff’s Deputy Jacob Eric Salrin, 23, was awarded the Clifford Moyer Marksmanship award on his graduation from the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy in January, 2023.
Richland County Sheriff’s Deputy Jacob Eric Salrin, 23, was awarded the Clifford Moyer Marksmanship award on his graduation from the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy in January, 2023.

“We ask for the community’s prayers as we navigate this grief together,” the sheriff’s department said in a news release. “As the Richland County Sheriff’s Department mourns the loss of their brother, we thank the community for their support.”

In addition to his parents, Salrin is survived by an older sister among other family members, according to the obituary.

Condolences can be sent to the Richland County Sheriff’s Department, his family asks that any donations be made to the Richland County Sheriff’s Foundation to support fellow deputies. Please designate your gift to Deputy Salrin, the obituary said.