In the late spring of 1987, a dedicated law enforcement officer, 41-year-old Donald Ray Hayes, served as a Deputy Sheriff in Marion County, South Carolina. His life was tragically cut short on Saturday, May 2nd of that year, while in the line of duty.
On that fateful day, Deputy Hayes, along with two other deputies, went to a residence to serve an arrest warrant for a simple assault.
Knowing the suspect had a history of fleeing from law enforcement, the deputies strategically approached the home. While his two partners went to the front, Hayes moved to cover the rear of the house to prevent any escape. It was a routine procedure, one they had likely done countless times.
As Deputy Hayes rounded the back of the house, the suspect, without warning, leaned out of a window and opened fire with a 12-gauge shotgun from a shockingly close distance of only four feet. The blast struck Deputy Hayes, inflicting a mortal wound. He succumbed to the gunshot wound the following day, on Sunday, May 3, 1987.
The suspect, a 34-year-old man, immediately fled the scene after the shooting, sparking a manhunt. Law enforcement acted swiftly, and the following day, the individual responsible for Deputy Hayes's death was apprehended. The man was subsequently convicted of murder for his heinous act and received a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole. As of 2021, he was still incarcerated at the Turbeville Prison. Deputy Hayes was survived by his wife and three children.
