Beaufort County Sheriff's Office, South Carolina
End of Watch: Tuesday, January 8, 2002
Age: 44
Tour of Duty: 4 years
Badge Number: A45
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: January 8, 2002
Weapon Used: Rifle; SKS
Suspect Info: Sentenced to death
Lance Corporal Dana Tate and Corporal Dyke "A.J." Coursen were shot and killed after responding to a domestic disturbance call on Riley Road, in Burton, at approximately 1600 hours.
A female had called the sheriff's office and complained about her and her young child being held against their will by her boyfriend. While the deputies were investigating, they were shot by the boyfriend, who was armed with a semi-automatic rifle and was hiding inside a bedroom closet.
Deputy Coursen was killed, but Deputy Tate was able to shoot and wound the suspect before he died. The suspect was later taken into custody after a search. The man was sentenced to death in 2003.
Lance Corporal Tate was a U.S. Navy veteran and had been a member of the Beaufort County Sheriff's Department for over four years. He is survived by his family.