One person is dead and a 17-year-old restaurant employee has been arrested after a shooting in downtown Myrtle Beach late Friday night.
Myrtle Beach Police Department wrote in a that an altercation occurred between an employee and "another individual" at 900 N. Ocean Blvd. Two people suffered gunshot wounds, one was arrested and one is dead, MBPD posted. Evany McCray, 17, is being charged as an adult in connection to the shooting.
Grayson Meyers, 18, died in the shooting, said Horry County chief deputy coroner Tamara Willard. Meyers lived in Myrtle Beach.
The shooting happened inside Peaches Corner restaurant, located in one of the busiest areas of downtown Myrtle Beach at the corner of North Ocean Boulevard and 9th Avenue North.聽
MBPD Lt. Allen Amick said in a press conference that McCray, an employee at Peaches Corner from Conway, exchanged words with a person who entered the restaurant before several shots were fired. One person died and another who was crossing the street outside was struck by a bullet and transported to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Police officials would not say whether the victim of the shooting was armed, saying the investigation is ongoing and that more details will be released later.聽
The shooting happened at about 11:15 p.m. Friday, June 27. Police responded immediately, Amick said, entering the restaurant seconds after shots rang out and arresting McCray within two minutes.
Ocean Boulevard has a large police presence on weekend nights, closing one lane of traffic to increase response time. Assistant police chief Chris Smith said that MBPD 鈥渦pstaffs鈥 in the area with 50 or more officers patrolling the downtown core Friday.
"This individual, an employee of the establishment, still made the decision to place our community at risk by discharging a firearm from within that establishment. Our officers immediately responded by running to the gunfire," Smith said.
Smith expressed his condolences to those impacted by the shooting and said the department shares the community's frustrations with "these societal issues of youth unlawfully carrying firearms and engaging in criminal activity."
The Peaches Corner shooting comes two months after an 18-year-old was killed by police after shooting into a crowd on Ocean Boulevard late at night.
McCray has been charged with assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature, possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime, possession of a weapon by a minor and murder. A bond hearing was held Saturday, June 28, where a judge set no bail for the assault and battery charge and $250,000 for the weapon possession charges. A higher court will hold a bond hearing for the murder charge, Amick said.
MBPD is requesting photos or video of the incident and for those with information about the shooting to call 843-918-1382.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
(1) comment
What could possibly of caused this . Has to be something outside of the patron employee realm. Hedging my bet on the supposed reason for this tragedy.
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