CAYCE, S.C. — There's already an outpouring of emotion in Cayce for Officer Roy "Drew" Barr, who was killed in the line of duty early Sunday morning.
Cayce Police Chief Chris Cowan said Barr was responding to a domestic disturbance call just before 3 a.m. at a home on Rossmore Drive when he was shot. He died of his injuries.
Hours later, Barr's police vehicle was parked outside the Cayce Police Headquarters. People in the community placed flowers on the vehicle in tribute to Barr, while members of the Cayce Fire Department placed a helmet on the vehicle and held what appeared to be a brief moment of silence in his honor. (Until last year, the police and fire departments in Cayce were a combined unit known as the Department of Public Safety).
One woman who came to put down flowers said didn't know him personally but had seen Barr respond to many calls over the years.
Barr was just 28-years-old. He'd been with the department since 2016 and in 2020 joined the K-9 unit, where he worked with a dog named Molly.
"Our officer gave the ultimate sacrifice to keep us safe," Cayce Police Chief Chris Cowan said.
Barr also was a volunteer firefighter with the Monetta Fire Department and was a trained EMT.
"He was committed to this community, and he cared about nothing else than serving this community," Cowan said.
Tributes to Officer Barr have poured in from law enforcement across the area, the state, and the nation.