‘Multiple people are down!’ Man pulls gun, injures several people on Ocean Boulevard

A shootout in the area of 5th Ave. North and Ocean Boulevard in Myrtle Beach shortly after midnight Sunday led to several people being hospitalized, according to Lt. Joey Crosby of Myrtle Beach Police Department.

At approximately 12:25 a.m. Sunday, Myrtle Beach Police officers responded to the area because of the gathering of a large crowd.

According to police, prior to the officers arriving on the scene, a fight began between individuals. One of the individuals involved in the fight presented a gun and shot the person he was fighting. An armed security officer witnessed the shooting and shot the shooter.

The shooter fired multiple rounds and fled the scene by carjacking a vehicle. Officers located the vehicle within a few hours, have apprehended a suspect and will release his identity once an arrest warrant has been served.

A man, who was staying at a nearby hotel, caught the incident while streaming video on Facebook Live. According to Facebook, it’s been seen approximately 500,000 times as of 10:45 a.m. Sunday.

Several people were transported to the hospital for treatment with non-life-threatening injuries. Crosby said in a statement that no officer was shot or injured during the incident, though a patrol car was struck by gunfire.

“The security officer did receive a graze wound to the leg," Crosby said. "The injury did not require him to be transported to the hospital and he received medical attention on scene.”

This was the third reported shooting within 12 hours in Myrtle Beach. Police responded to reported shootings at Coastal Grand Mall around 4:30 p.m. where they found a gunshot victim. About 10 minutes later, police responded to a reported shooting at Crown Reef Motel on Ocean Boulevard but found no victims.

Crosby said at this point they don’t believe the shootings are related.

The incident is under investigation. Officers continue to collect and analyze evidence and urge anyone who may have information regarding this incident to call Myrtle Beach Police at 843-918-1382.

This story was originally published June 18, 2017 at 4:23 AM with the headline "‘Multiple people are down!’ Man pulls gun, injures several people on Ocean Boulevard."