An 18-year-old who was shooting into a crowd was shot dead by police along Myrtle Beach's Ocean Boulevard late Saturday night, April 26, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division said in a release Tuesday.
Eleven people were injured and transported to the hospital for medical treatment, police said. No law enforcement officers were injured.
Officials have not specified the nature of the injuries, though some media outlets have reported it was a mass shooting. Definitions vary of what determine mass shootings, but they are often defined by four or more people who suffer gunshot wounds.
鈥淭his was not a mass shooting,鈥 Myrtle Beach Mayor Brenda Bethune said Tuesday, adding the city remains a safe place to visit.聽鈥淚 believe that there is no city or town in this nation regardless of how big or small that is completely safe and completely crime free. If someone has a gun and they want to do something bad, they鈥檙e going to do something bad, regardless of how safe that area is.鈥
SLED said an officer returned fire at the armed man, Jerrius Davis, who died on-scene. Three officers were placed on paid administrative leave following the shooting, and two have returned back to work, Bethune said.
The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division confirmed it is investigating and released few details Tuesday. It is a common practice for SLED to step in to investigate when an officer is involved in a shooting.
The Myrtle Beach Police Department said the department offers "its prayers and deepest sympathies to everyone" impacted.
"Our hearts and continued prayers are with all those affected, as well as their loved ones during this difficult time," the department said.
Myrtle Beach Police said it plans to conduct an internal review of the incident.
On the night of the shooting, MBPD said officers saw a disturbance involving multiple people along the 900 block of North Ocean Boulevard just before midnight. "During the altercation, one individual began firing a weapon," MBPD said. "At that time, based on the immediate threat, one of our officers responded by discharging their firearm."
Davis, of Bennettsville, South Carolina, died after he was shot at 913 N. Ocean Blvd., said Chief Deputy Coroner Tamara Willard with the Horry County Coroner's Office.
Zudia Purvis, who spoke with news partner WMBF 黑料社入口, said she was at the shooting scene, and said it was a scary moment.
鈥淚 was walking the strip, and you know, I was coming back to my room, and you just hear shots going off and shots going off,鈥 Purvis said. 鈥淭hen you just hear somebody screaming for help, and then more shots pop off, and people start running and going crazy.鈥
Purvis said there wasn鈥檛 a lot of time to think.
鈥淟ike you hear 鈥榖ang,鈥 then you see some people running, you hear somebody screaming 鈥榟elp鈥 like you know, you don鈥檛 know what to do but to run,鈥 she said.
Seasonal police hub
The shooting happened near a portion of the boulevard that temporarily closes so police can set up shop.
The 鈥淪ummer Emergency Vehicle Access Plan鈥 is a traffic pattern that closes the northbound lane of Ocean Boulevard from 16th Avenue North to 9th Avenue North. The boulevard is completely closed to traffic from 8th Avenue North to 9th Avenue North.
The large presence of police is intended to decrease crime by increasing police visibility.
鈥淵es, it is heavily patrolled because of the number of people who visit that area,鈥 Bethune said, adding the area will continue to be heavily patrolled.
She said violent crime has decreased nearly 50% in the Waterfront District.
A MBPD spokesperson said on Monday that during anticipated busier weeks and weekends throughout the year, the department proactively addresses the increased demand on public safety personnel by "up-staffing internally" and coordinating with outside agencies in the area.
"These partnerships allow us to enhance our presence and maintain quick response times," the spokesperson said.
Jason Bruegger, an assistant city manager, has said the summer traffic pattern leads to response times that are 30 seconds faster.
To continue making the area safer, Bethune said 鈥渨e need to get rid of the hotels that attract wrong people,鈥 adding hotels that charge $45-$50 a night are the ones attracting the 鈥渨rong people.鈥
鈥淲e need to have the business owners who sell merchandise that attracts the wrong clientele to change their merchandise,鈥 she said, adding that families visiting do not want to go into stores selling unfavorable merchandise.
鈥淚s it safe? Absolutely it is. Could it be more safe? Yes,鈥 she said.
MBPD officer-involved shootings
Officials have not named the officers who were involved in Saturday鈥檚 shooting.
The department's policy states in the aftermath of a shooting involving an officer, the chief of police should notify SLED, as well as city managers, a risk manager and the city attorney. The chief must appoint a liaison officer to each involved officer, who may be placed on administrative duties as necessary.
The involved officers are to narrate on their body camera that they are no longer actively involved in the incident and are leaving the incident location, the policy states. They may turn off their body cam at this point.
Next, the involved officers should make contact with their significant others to let them know they were involved in a shooting.
The department advises that the involved officers should immediately deactivate all personal social media accounts, and should suggest that immediate family members deactivate their accounts, too.
The officers should speak with an attorney before giving any statement that may be used in a criminal investigation.
SLED, which does officer-involved shooting investigations at the request of law enforcement agencies, will conduct interviews with witnesses and collect evidence to be submitted to prosecutors.聽
A liaison officer will notify the involved officer of the subject's condition as updates become available, the policy states.
Before officers return to full duties, the department's policy states the officer will undergo mental health counseling within three days of the incident, attend a Critical Incident Stress Debrief, visit the incident location, qualify with their newly assigned duty weapon, and undergo a psychological assessment.
鈥楧eeply saddened鈥
Following Saturday鈥檚 deadly shooting, the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce issued a statement from its interim president and CEO Tracy Conner, who said the chamber is 鈥渄eeply saddened鈥 by the incident.
鈥淥ur thoughts are with the individuals and families affected, and we are grateful for the swift response from law enforcement and emergency personnel,鈥 Conner said. 鈥淭he Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce and CVB continues to coordinate closely with city leaders, public safety officials and our tourism partners. The safety and well-being of our visitors and residents is always our top priority.
鈥淲e understand that incidents like this are concerning,鈥 the statement continues. 鈥淗owever, Myrtle Beach is a safe and welcoming place for all. Public safety and tourism go hand in hand, and we support ongoing collaboration to ensure both remain strong. While any act of violence is unsettling, we remain confident in the strength of our community and the resilience of the Myrtle Beach brand. Visitor sentiment remains strong, and although Easter shifted travel patterns slightly this year, overall spring visitation has been healthy and we are anticipating a strong summer season.
鈥淥ur visitor services teams are active in the market and available to assist guests with questions or concerns.鈥
SLED investigates
The shooting marks SLED's 17th officer-involved shooting in South Carolina so far this year. There were 45 officer-involved shootings in South Carolina last year, none involving the Myrtle Beach Police Department. Saturday's shooting was the first officer-involved shooting in Horry County in 2025.
Before Saturday, a more recent deadly officer-involved shooting happened in 2023 in the Surfside Beach area when an Horry County Police Department officer fatally shot 39-year-old Hendrix Washington, who had barricaded himself in a motel. Police involved in that shooting were cleared of charges after a SLED investigation.
In 2022, a South Carolina Highway Patrol trooper fatally shot Tristan Vereen after a traffic stop and car chase in the Longs area. That officer was also cleared.
In a separate incident that same year, former Hemingway officer Cassandra Dollard was charged with voluntary manslaughter after a shooting that killed 46-year-old Robert Langley in Georgetown County.
Dollard's trial was first up on the docket for the week of May 3, but a judge continued the case at the defense attorney鈥檚 request.
In 2020, 23-year-old Myrtle Beach Police Officer Jacob Hancher was killed by a heavily armed gunman after responding to a domestic disturbance call. Hancher had been an officer for just eight months. The gunman was also killed in the incident.
A 31-year-old North Carolina man was shot by Myrtle Beach Police in 2017.
Jarvis Hayes, died on Sept. 8, 2017, five days after being shot by officers at the Mystic Sea Hotel on Ocean Boulevard. Two MBPD officers were cleared of charges after the shooting.
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