Judge suspends alcohol license of Little River bar after deadly, gang-related shooting
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A judge has suspended the alcohol license of a Little River bar after two people were shot and killed there on New Year’s Eve.
The shooting was gang related, according to testimony from Horry County Police officers.
The state administrative law court judge ordered Jan. 17 that Drinking Class Sports Bar and Grill’s on-premise beer and wine permit and business liquor by the drink license be suspended because the “licensed premises presents a sufficient threat to public safety and welfare,” according to the court order.
The South Carolina Department of Revenue filed a motion Jan. 8 against the bar, asking the court for an emergency suspension and expedited hearing regarding the bar’s license.
The bar has been in operation since September 2022. Horry County Police officers provided information that the location had the presence of local gang members and that the police department had seen an uptick in call volume to the bar since November, according to the court document. The owner, Chester King Wheeler, did not dispute that gang members were patrons of the bar, the court document said.
Police met with bar management in December to discuss actions which could be taken to deter future criminal activity. One of the safety measures was for the bar to raise its entrant age.
The bar did so the week after the deadly shooting, altering the age requirements for women to 25 and 30 for men.
Based on security footage from Dec. 31, four victims could be seen entering the bar when a person in a vehicle began to shoot at the victims. The shooting left two people dead and two more injured. It is believed that the incident was gang related, according to the court document.
James Myron Bellamy, 20, and Kron Fox, 19, were killed in the shooting. No arrests have been made by Horry County Police in the case.
There were bouncers on duty that evening, but neither one were licensed by South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, according to the document.
It is unclear whether the bar remains open.
