Family of mentally ill man shot and killed by police during Dorchester County standoff wants anwers

DORCHESTER COUNTY, S.C. (WCBD) — The family of a man who was shot and killed during a Feb. 28 standoff is demanding answers from law enforcement.

“My son was good kid,” Stanley Rose, father of 35-year-old Robert Rose, said during a Tuesday morning press conference outside North Charleston City Hall.

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 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.

According to his father, Rose joined the Army National Guard as a senior in high school but was “not quite the same” when he returned home from fighting overseas.

“He was no threat to anybody,” Stanley Rose said. “The only thing he was battling was his mental condition, and I think he had in under control.”

During Tuesday’s press conference, one family member questioned why officers did not use a taser, beanbags, or another option before resorting to lethal force.

“Why did you feel the need to kill a veteran with mental illness?” she asked.

Rose’s father said he learned of the situation only minutes before the shooting occurred and believes that he could have been able to help if he’d been notified sooner.

“They called me right before they killed him,” he said. “If they had called me when it first went down, I could’ve gone in there and saved my son. My son would be alive today.”

The North Charleston Police Department and Mayor Reggie Burgess’ office declined to comment, citing SLED’s ongoing investigation.