SLED investigating after man armed with hatchets shot by police during Dorchester County standoff

DORCHESTER COUNTY, S.C. (WCBD) — The State Law Enforcement Division (SLED) is investigating an officer-involved shooting in Dorchester County that left a 35-year-old man dead.

Deputies with the Dorchester County Sheriff’s Office responded to the Waverly Place apartment complex on the morning of Feb. 28 after the Department of Mental Health requested help transporting a patient to a mental health facility.

According to SLED, the individual — later identified as Robert Rose — was sitting inside a parked car outside of the building armed with a hatchet when deputies arrived.

An altercation ensued, during which Rose assaulted a deputy with the weapon, injuring the deputy’s hand. The deputy was treated at a nearby hospital and later released.

The situation evolved into a barricaded suspect incident, and additional agencies were called in to assist, including the North Charleston Police Department’s SWAT team.

North Charleston Police Chief Ron Camacho said the incident escalated when Rose exited the residence through a window, armed with a hatchet in each hand.

“Despite clear and repeated commands from our officers to drop the weapons, the subject did not comply. As a result, our officers discharged their weapons to prevent further threat to the surrounding public,” Camacho said in a Feb. 28 statement.

Rose was taken to Trident Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead shortly before 4:30 p.m., according to the Dorchester County coroner.

No one else was injured during the standoff, authorities said.

DCSO requested that SLED investigate the incident, per standard protocol.

This was the sixth officer-involved shooting in South Carolina this year.