In the early morning hours of February 18, 1985, North Charleston Police Officer Robert Anthony Way, a man known by his friends and colleagues as Tony, responded to an alarm call at Rose's Hideaway Bar on Rivers Avenue. A U.S. Air Force veteran, he had been with the police department for just one year.
Upon arrival, Officer Way went to the rear of the building, where he encountered a suspect who immediately fled. A foot pursuit ensued around the corner of the building.
The suspect, who was waiting in a pre-planned ambush, turned and fired at Officer Way, striking him on the right side. Despite his injury, Officer Way returned fire, hitting the suspect twice in the lower back as the man attempted to run again. The suspect then spun around and fired two more shots. The first missed, but the second struck Officer Way near his heart. Officer Way managed to fire four more rounds, striking the suspect in the abdominal area.
The suspect died at the scene within minutes. Officer Way was rushed to the hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries shortly thereafter. He was survived by his wife and son, who was just days shy of his second birthday. The investigation revealed that the suspect’s motive was revenge against the North Charleston Police Department for an arrest that had occurred ten days prior at the same location. The suspect in the shooting was killed at the scene, and no arrests were made in connection to Officer Way's death.
