NORTH CHARLESTON, SC (WCIV) — The North Charleston Police Department officers who shot and killed a man with hatchets in his hands in late February won’t face charges, according to a prosecutor’s decision.
Robert Rose, 35, a veteran wielding two hatchets on Feb. 28 as he slowly approached the police perimeter set up during an hours-long standoff after the Dorchester County Sheriff’s Department was called to escort him for mental health treatment, ignored commands to drop the weapons before he was shot by law enforcement.
BACKGROUND | “1 dead in officer-involved shooting after barricade incident in Dorchester County: Sheriff.”
North Charleston officers Pfc. Michael Layton and Pfc. Alexander Wilkinson both fired their weapons in the incident. Both were placed on administrative leave after the shooting and have since returned to the force, North Charleston Police Department spokesperson Harve Jacobs said.
The 1st and 14th circuits’ Public Integrity Unit was tasked with making a charging decision in the case. Ultimately, the unit decided that the officers wouldn’t be charged due to “insufficient evidence or conduct not criminal.”
The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division also investigated the shooting, and no additional examination was necessary.
Rose was killed outside of an apartment building on Waverly Place Circle in North Charleston.
According to a letter from SLED, Rose injured a Dorchester County deputy’s hand with a hatchet before barricading himself inside. When he exited the apartment armed, he was said to have ignored officers’ commands before being shot.
He was pronounced dead at the hospital.
BACKGROUND | “Father wants answers after son killed in officer-involved shooting in Dorchester County.”
On March 4, Rose’s family held a press conference mourning his death and asking how a call for mental health help ended in a shooting.
“My son was murdered by the North Charleston Police Department,” said Stanley Rose at the time. “My son was a good kid. He joined the Army National Guard when he was a senior in high school just to go to war and fight for this country. When he came home, not quite the same, but he’s been ok. They have no right to kill my son. He was no threat to anybody. The only thing he was battling with was his mental condition, and I think he had it under control.”
The family said they struggled to comprehend why a man without a criminal record was shot and killed.
Stanley Rose was not called to the scene until 3:15 p.m. on Feb. 28. At the press conference days after his son’s death, Stanley claimed things could have been different if he were there.
“That’s my son. I know how to handle him,” Stanley Rose said. “He’d still be here today if they had reached out to me earlier.”
BACKGROUND | “Video shows moments before South Carolina man fatally shot by police officers.”
Elder James Johnson, chief executive officer of the National Racial Justice Network, spoke publicly following Rose’s death.
Johnson called for accountability and more training for law enforcement when dealing with individuals with mental illnesses.
READ MORE | National Racial Justice Network addresses officer-involved shooting in Dorchester County
News 4 spoke with Johnson following the news of the two officers being cleared.
“It’s no surprise to me or the community that the officers got cleared in this shooting,” Johnson said. “As far as I’m concerned, they murdered him.”
Johnson shared concerns about the number of officer-involved shootings in South Carolina.
According to SLED press releases, in 2024, the state saw 45 officer-involved shootings. As of July 1, South Carolina has seen 28 officer-involved shootings.
“There’s too many people that are being shot and killed by police officers,” Johnson said. “It is a lot of politics, mixed up, and it’s simply because no solicitor who wants to get re-elected will ever get elected for actually prosecuting an officer.”
Johnson says he continues to ask for transparency from SLED, NCPD, and the city.
News 4 reached out to a spokesperson with NCPD about the two officers being cleared; they declined to comment.
