On May 10, 1918, Jack "Tennessee" Ray was leaving the Elmwood Club, a well-known gambling den, after shooting and wounding another man he had been betting with. Officer Michael Y. Sayeg happened to be outside the club when Ray walked outside, and when Ray saw him, he ran. Sayeg pursued him, and as the chase turned onto Locust Street, Ray turned and fatally wounded Sayeg. Sayeg did not have time to draw his own gun. Officers William Doan and Jack Price were nearby, and when they spotted Ray fleeing the scene, they captured him.

Officer Sayeg had been on the police force for eight years.