After mass shooting, Myrtle Beach didn’t answer questions for 4 days. Do other cities?

When an 18-year-old died and 11 people were injured in a mass shooting in downtown Myrtle Beach shortly before midnight on Saturday, April 27, the city called a news conference four days later.

Mayor Brenda Bethune said the city didn’t have enough information from the State Law Enforcement Division (SLED) to hold a conference on Sunday after the shooting.

“We are not a large city that deals with murders every day, or officer involved shootings, so we have to take this situation and learn from it,” Bethune said at the conference. “What we have learned is that yes, the public deserves answers more quickly and that we have to get those answers out more quickly. That is our responsibility.”

After the shooting, police said an officer fatally shot a man SLED identified as Jerrius Davis, who allegedly fired a gun in an altercation with multiple parties. But more than a week after the news conference, it’s still unclear what led to the shooting.

Myrtle Beach Police Chief Amy Prock said at the conference that the ages of the people injured range from 13 to 43 years old, but added that the exact ages and genders of the victims remain in question. The city said it “does not know the particulars on each victim’s injury,” because SLED hasn’t shared the information.

But is the city’s response unusual? In three mass shootings around the country last weekend, police departments hosted news conferences within 48 hours.

Here’s how quickly other cities spoke on mass shootings, and what police said.

Glendale, Arizona

Three people died when shots were fired in a fight outside a concert in Glendale, Arizona, around 7:45 p.m. on Sunday, May 4.

The next day, the Glendale police explained how the shooting broke out, identified the deceased as 21-year-old Milo Christopher Suniga and brothers Damien Anthony Sproule, 17, and Christopher Juaquin Sproule, 21.

“During that concert there were a group of individuals that began fighting. At one point, those individuals were escorted out of the venue,” Glendale Police Department spokesperson Jose Santiago said. “That fight escalated out in the parking lot and those individuals began firing shots at one another. That’s when this became a chaotic situation.”

Police also said a 16-year-old boy was critically injured, but expected to recover after surgery. Four other adults were injured, but not in critical condition: two women aged 20 and 21, and two men aged 20 and 23. Although police said they were working to identify suspects, no arrests have been made.

But other departments have been less efficient and transparent in publicly naming the ages of those injured in mass shootings.

Houston, Texas

Around 12:50 a.m. on Sunday, May 4, gunfire broke out in southeast Houston. Less than 4 hours after the shooting, police live-streamed a news conference on Facebook.

Within two days of a shooting in Houston, police shared the circumstances they believe led to the incident and an age range of those injured.

“This whole incident started as a party, a family party, a family gathering. I believe some of the witnesses are saying they had an uninvited guest,” Houston Police Department Assistant Chief HPD Asst. Chief Patricia Cantu said. “The uninvited guest was asked to leave. He left, as he was leaving, he began shooting in the area. There was return fire from the residents, as well.”

On Monday, police updated the count of injured people to at least 15 people, ages 16 to 40. They also said the deceased person is an 18-year-old man, but didn’t identify his name pending notification to his family.

Although multiple people were detained for questioning, no arrests have been made.

Tulsa, Oklahoma

In Tulsa, police say two people fired guns in a crowd downtown around 12:30 a.m. Sunday. The mayor and police held a news conference Monday and elaborated on the fight that escalated into gun violence, an age range of the confirmed injured victims and the age and identity of the man killed.

Chief Dennis Larsen said on May 5 that the fight traced back to a homicide in 2022. According to police, one officer fatally shot 21-year-old Thurman Wilson after the man fired shots on a crowded downtown street. Police did not identify another man who allegedly shot a gun and was injured by another officer’s gunfire.

According to the city, at least five people were injured, but there could be more victims.

“The ages of those affected range from 18 years old to their late 20s,” said Larsen, “and it’s heartbreaking to see young lives impacted by violence.”

This story was originally published May 7, 2025 at 5:30 AM.