Gaber “Jimmy” Baghdady, a 64-year-old man originally from Egypt, had spent decades building a quiet, hardworking life in the Lowcountry, living in Hanahan and commuting into downtown Charleston to manage the popular King Street restaurant Toast All Day. He had immigrated to the United States with his wife in the 1980s, raising two children and pouring his energy into the kitchens he ran, where his New York–style pizza and generous portions were how he showed love to customers and family
alike. Those who knew him described a devoted husband and father who worked long hours so his children could pursue careers and education, a man who believed deeply in doing the right thing and standing up for others.
On the night of June 28, 2022, the workday stretched late as he closed up Toast All Day on King Street, a busy restaurant corridor where the noise of bars and traffic often blended into the summer heat. He finished the nightly routine of securing the building and handling the restaurant’s cash, a responsibility he had carried many times before. When he failed to return home in the early hours of the morning, his family grew anxious; his daughter later recalled being awakened by her mother and driving downtown, only to find police lights and crime scene tape instead of the familiar sight of her father locking the doors.
Shortly before midnight, Charleston police had been called to the area of King and Radcliffe streets after reports of gunfire. Officers arrived around 11:40 p.m. to find a man lying near the rear entrance of Toast All Day at 451 King Street, suffering from a gunshot wound. Emergency medical personnel pronounced him dead at the scene, and the Charleston County coroner later identified the victim as Gaber Baghdady of Hanahan, confirming that he had died just before midnight in downtown Charleston. News of the killing of a well-known restaurant manager in the heart of the city spread quickly, rattling staff, regular customers, and the broader community who knew him as “Jimmy” behind the counter.
The investigation moved rapidly. By the next day, detectives announced that they had focused on a suspect with a direct connection to the restaurant: former Toast All Day group employee Antwan Lamont Scott. Police said Scott had gone to the back of the restaurant that night to commit an armed robbery, targeting the manager he knew would be closing and handling the money. According to investigators and later court summaries, Scott confronted Baghdady near the rear of the building, and a struggle broke out as the manager tried to resist and fight back. During that confrontation, Scott fired the shot that struck him, then fled, leaving the victim on the ground behind the restaurant.
Within hours, Scott was taken into custody and booked into the Al Cannon Detention Center. Charleston police and prosecutors charged him with murder, attempted armed robbery, burglary in the second degree and possession of a deadly weapon during the commission of a violent crime, noting that he was a former co-worker of the victim. He was scheduled for a bond hearing but ultimately waived an initial appearance, remaining jailed while the case moved through the court system. For Baghdady’s family, the arrest brought a measure of relief but no real comfort; they spoke publicly of their grief and their desire to see “the man who killed” their loved one held accountable, even as they tried to make sense of how someone he had once worked alongside could turn on him in such a way.
In the days that followed, the portrait that emerged of the victim deepened the sense of loss. His daughter described him as someone who had “lived the American Dream,” working relentlessly after immigrating so that his children could build lives and careers in their new country. Friends and patrons remembered him as generous and quick to give back, especially through his cooking. A funeral service was held at the Central Mosque of Charleston after Friday prayers, followed by burial in North Charleston, and a fundraising campaign helped cover funeral costs and ease the financial strain on his family, with donors sharing memories of the man who greeted them with food and warmth on King Street.
More than two years after the shooting, the criminal case reached its conclusion in a Charleston County courtroom. On October 31, 2024, Antwan Scott pleaded guilty to murder for the killing of the restaurant manager during the attempted robbery at Toast All Day. In a hearing summarized in news reports, prosecutors recounted how Scott, recently fired, returned to the restaurant with a gun on the night of the crime, knowing that cash was being moved, and shot the manager during a brief struggle at the back of the building. As part of a plea agreement, related charges tied to weapon possession and attempted robbery were dropped. The judge sentenced Scott to 35 years in prison, a lengthy term that effectively ensures he will spend much of the rest of his life in state custody. Scott expressed remorse in court and said he hoped the family could someday forgive him, but they chose not to speak during the sentencing, their silence underscoring a loss that no plea, sentence, or apology could undo.
