On January 8, 2002, deputies responded to a domestic disturbance at a mobile home on Riley Road in Burton, South Carolina. Beaufort County Lance Corporal Dana Tate, 44, and Corporal Dyke A.J. Coursen went to assist a woman who said her boyfriend was preventing her and her young child from leaving. The owner consented to a bedroom search, where Tyree Roberts was hiding in a closet armed with a semi-automatic rifle.

Gunfire erupted when deputies entered. Both officers were struck; Corporal Coursen died at the scene and Lance Corporal Tate, shot seven times, returned fire and wounded Roberts before succumbing to his injuries. Roberts fled but was found shortly afterward hiding under a bridge with gunshot wounds to his shoulder and hip. An SKS rifle and a magazine were recovered nearby. Roberts, a convicted felon on parole at the time, was charged with two counts of capital murder.

At trial in 2003 Roberts represented himself with court-appointed assistance; after 13 days of testimony the jury convicted him of both murders and recommended death after about 45 minutes of sentencing deliberations. Anyone with information about the case or who knew either officer is asked to come forward.