Fayette County Sheriff's Department, West Virginia
End of Watch: Wednesday, October 8, 1975
Age: 25
Tour of Duty: 4 years, 6 months
Badge Number: 5
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: October 8, 1975
Weapon Used: Shotgun; 12 gauge
Suspect Info: Shot and killed
Deputy Sheriff Roger Treadway was shot and killed after he and his partner stopped to assist what they believed to be a disabled motorist on US Route 60 near Hico, West Virginia, at about 2:00 am.
The driver of the vehicle had the hood up and was acting as if he was working on the engine.
Deputy Treadway waited in the car as his partner spoke to the man. The man asked the deputy to hold his flashlight and then said he was going to try to start the car. He emerged from the vehicle with a shotgun. The deputy slipped and fell as he tried to retreat back to the patrol car. Deputy Treadway then exited the patrol car as the subject stood overtop of his partner with the shotgun. The two exchanged shots and both were fatally wounded. Deputy Treadway's partner was also wounded during the shootout.
All three were transported to a local hospital, where Deputy Treadway succumbed to his wounds. The subject died four days later.
Investigation revealed that the man had earlier murdered his family in Covington, Virginia, and was fleeing the scene.
Deputy Treadway was a U.S. Marine Corps veteran of the Vietnam War. He had served in law enforcement with the Fayette County Sheriff's Department and Fayette City Police Department for 4-1/2 years. He was survived by his parents, two sisters, his paternal grandparents, and his maternal grandmother.