South Carolina Police Officer Shot Dead While Responding To Domestic Disturbance

A South Carolina police officer responding to a domestic disturbance call was killed in the line of duty early Sunday morning, April 24, officials said.

Officer Roy Andrew "Drew" Barr of the Cayne Police Department had responded to the residence in Lexington County at around 2:48 a.m. and was talking to a man who was standing in the front yard when someone opened fire from inside, Cayce Police Chief Chris Cowan said at a news conference Sunday.

Several shots were fired from inside of the house — one of which struck and killed Barr. He was 28 years old.

"He was committed to his profession, he was committed to his community. He cared about nothing else than serving this community and he was shot and killed this morning for no reason," Cowan said.

The shooter, 36-year-old Austin Leigh Henderson, had barricaded himself inside a residence. He died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound after a seven-hour standoff with law enforcement, according to a statement released by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division.

Barr’s death is being investigated as a murder-suicide.

He graduated from the police academy in 2017 and became a K-9 officer in Oct. 2020, with his beloved partner Molly, a black labrador retriever, Cowan said.

"He loved his dog, Molly, and he loved his job. He loved being a K-9 officer and he was good at it," Cowan said.

Barr was not married and had no children, but "was married to this profession," he added.

Barr had also served as a volunteer firefighter and EMT. A statement from the Monetta Volunteer Fire Department said Barr was the captain of their department in Aiken County, WSPA reported.

"It is with a heavy heart that we say goodbye to one of our own. Drew Barr was a Captain with our department. Drew was shot and killed in the line of duty with Cayce Public Safety. Please pray for his family," the statement said.

Barr received a purple heart in 2017 after he was shot and injured by a suspect that year, when he was a trainee, according to the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office.

"Our hearts are breaking in Cayce," Mayor Elise Partin told reporters on Sunday. "Officer Drew Barr has been an important part of the Cayce family since 2016."