Lauren Miller of WSPA 7News opens her report with a sentence that explains why “Dragon’s Breath” suddenly has people Googling ammunition late at night. She says the station is “taking a closer look at the ammunition used” in the ambush of a police officer early Sunday morning.
The scene, according to Lauren Miller, wasn’t some deserted back road. It was the parking lot at the Greenville County Law Enforcement Center – a place most people associate with order and security, not flames and chaos.
In the surveillance video Lauren Miller describes, what should have been routine becomes a flashpoint. She reports that authorities say the suspect fired at an officer while the officer was sitting inside his patrol vehicle.
That detail matters. An officer in a car is exposed in ways people don’t always think about – glass, thin metal, and very little room to move when something starts coming through the door.
Lauren Miller reports that investigators with SLED, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, say 42-year-old David Lane ambushed the officer and opened fire.
And in this case, what grabbed attention was not just that shots were fired, but what was fired.
SLED, as Lauren Miller relays it, said the suspect used incendiary ammunition, also known as “Dragon’s Breath” ammunition.
That phrase alone sounds like it belongs in a movie, which is probably why it spreads so fast online. But Lauren Miller’s report makes the point clearly: whatever the nickname sounds like, it burned up a patrol car in real life.
What “Dragon’s Breath” Actually Does When It Fires
To answer the obvious question – what is this stuff? – Lauren Miller says she spoke with Kellet Stephens, a gun shop owner, to explain what Dragon’s Breath is and what it does.
Kellet Stephens tells Lauren Miller that it’s “used in incendiary ammunition,” and he describes it in plain terms: “It ignites.”
He compares it to a firework. That comparison helps because it immediately communicates the key feature: the ammo isn’t just sending projectiles downrange, it’s throwing heat and burning material outward.
Kellet Stephens also tells Lauren Miller it has been around for a long time. He says it’s been around since the mid-1980s, and he remembers hearing about it when he was younger.
In other words, this isn’t some brand-new invention that popped up last year. The public just doesn’t hear about it often, because most people don’t have a reason to.
Until something like this happens.
Lauren Miller then points viewers to photos of the patrol car, and the damage isn’t subtle. She describes charred parts of the door and mirror.
Kellet Stephens puts a number to the heat. He tells Lauren Miller the burning effect is in the “1500 degree neighborhood.”
That’s the kind of temperature that stops being “damage” and starts being “fire behavior.” At that heat, you’re not just talking about a hole in a panel. You’re talking about scorching, melting, and a real risk of ignition if anything flammable is nearby.
Lauren Miller also notes there were holes in the car. Kellet Stephens says that’s because the Dragon’s Breath effect sprays outward when fired.
Then he adds something important that gets lost when people focus only on the sparks.
Kellet Stephens tells Lauren Miller it looked like the majority of the burn was almost like “contact,” just inches from where the shotgun would have been.
He explains the blast of the Dragon’s Breath would cause the burning. But he also says the buckshot, the metal balls inside, would have been the dangerous part.
That’s a key point, and Lauren Miller lets it stand. The fire effect is terrifying, but the load can still be doing regular shotgun damage at the same time.
So if people imagine it as “just sparks,” Kellet Stephens is pushing back. There’s spectacle, yes – but there can also be the same lethal force you’d expect from buckshot.
Why People Buy It And Why Some Shops Won’t Touch It
Once Lauren Miller gets the “what does it do” question answered, she goes to the next one the public always asks: why does anyone even have this?
Kellet Stephens doesn’t dance around it. He tells Lauren Miller it’s a novelty, not something with a practical purpose.
“You do not hunt with it,” he says.
“Nobody would use it in a home defense situation,” he adds, because it would “light their house on fire.”
That’s a blunt warning, and it’s hard to argue with. Even setting legality aside, the idea of firing something that sprays burning material inside or near a home is the kind of choice that can ruin your life even if you never meant to hurt anyone.
Kellet Stephens also tells Lauren Miller that Dragon’s Breath is mainly used for show, and that it pops up on social media.
That makes sense, honestly. The visual effect is made for camera clips—sparks, flame trails, dramatic slow motion. It’s the kind of thing that looks “cool” right up until you remember real life has dry grass, wooden fences, cars with fuel lines, and people standing too close.
Lauren Miller reports that Kellet Stephens says people typically buy it online or at gun shows.
And then she adds a detail that says a lot about how serious he is: Kellet Stephens tells her he has never sold it, and he never will.
“I do not want to be involved in it,” he says.
He explains to Lauren Miller that there are certain products his shop won’t sell because they “don’t want that problem.”
That line may sound like just business preference, but it also reads like experience talking. Some items bring headaches – unsafe behavior, reckless customers, liability fears, and a type of buyer who thinks consequences are for other people.
The Part That Sticks In Your Head
Lauren Miller’s report is rooted in one simple reality: an officer was sitting in a patrol car when a suspect opened fire, and the damage suggests this wasn’t just an attempt to scare someone.
It’s hard to read the “incendiary” detail and not think about intent. Fire is different from ordinary force because it keeps going after the trigger pull.
It spreads. It panics people. It changes the scene even after the attacker is gone.
So when people ask what Dragon’s Breath does, the real answer is: it adds an element of burning chaos to an already violent moment.
Kellet Stephens describing 1500-degree heat, and Lauren Miller showing a charred door and mirror, puts a real-world picture on what is otherwise just a nickname.
And his explanation about buckshot being the dangerous part is the cold reminder that the “show” effect doesn’t cancel the underlying threat. You can have both at once—flames and pellets.
That combination is why people find it so disturbing. It’s not just a weapon. It looks like a message.
What Authorities Have Said So Far
Lauren Miller reports that SLED identified the suspect as David Lane, 42, and said he used Dragon’s Breath ammunition in the ambush.
She also notes that the investigation is ongoing.
And she reports that the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office plans to release more details during a briefing scheduled for February 25.
That date is important because the public tends to fill gaps with rumor when information comes out slowly. In cases like this, a clear timeline for an official briefing can help tamp down speculation.
Lauren Miller also reports that the officer involved is recovering at home with family, according to officials.
That’s the kind of line people don’t skip over. No matter what you think about policing in general, an ambush in a patrol car is the kind of event that makes almost anyone feel uneasy, because it’s so direct and so deliberate.
Why “Dragon’s Breath” Triggers A Public Reaction
Here’s the uncomfortable truth: the nickname alone is a marketing gift. It sounds mythical. It sounds like a video game item. It sounds like something teenagers repeat for shock value.
But Lauren Miller’s report shows what it really does in the only way that matters – by showing damage and letting Kellet Stephens explain the heat and the spray.
This is also a lesson in how “novelty” items can age badly. A product can exist on the margins for decades, mostly used for spectacle, until the day someone uses it in a crime and suddenly the entire public discovers it at once.
And when that happens, people don’t just ask “what is it?” They ask, “why is it available at all?”
Kellet Stephens’s answer is basically: it’s for show, not for use. And he’s so uneasy about it that he refuses to sell it.
That refusal says something bigger than one shop’s inventory choices. It suggests there’s a line that responsible sellers draw even when something is technically obtainable elsewhere.
The Simple Explanation People Actually Need
So if you strip away the dramatic nickname and focus on the practical description from Lauren Miller’s reporting:
Dragon’s Breath is incendiary ammo that ignites and sprays burning material with a fireworks-like effect.
Kellet Stephens tells Lauren Miller it burns extremely hot – around 1500 degrees – and he describes how it can scorch and char whatever it hits at close range.
And he warns there’s no smart everyday use for it – especially not hunting, and especially not self-defense inside a home.
That’s why the public reaction is so intense. This isn’t just “ammo.” It’s heat, fire risk, and spectacle layered onto an already dangerous weapon.
And according to Lauren Miller, in Greenville County, it got used in the worst way possible – during an ambush on an officer sitting in his patrol vehicle.
A former park ranger and wildlife conservationist, Lisa’s passion for survival started with her deep connection to nature. Raised on a small farm in northern Wisconsin, she learned how to grow her own food, raise livestock, and live off the land. Lisa is our dedicated Second Amendment news writer and also focuses on homesteading, natural remedies, and survival strategies. Lisa aims to help others live more sustainably and prepare for the unexpected.
