Myrtle Beach Police waiting to release info from mass shooting. Do they have to?
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Myrtle Beach Police point to the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division as the reason officials have released little information about a downtown shooting that led to an officer shooting and killing a teenager.
An April 26 shooting in downtown Myrtle Beach left an 18-year-old dead and 11 people injured. In the time since, the city of Myrtle Beach and its police department have said they cannot release information because of the SLED investigation.
“This is the responsibility of the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division. It is not the responsibility of the Myrtle Beach Police Department. Because this was an officer-involved shooting, SLED is responsible for this entire investigation,” Myrtle Beach Mayor Brenda Bethune said at a press conference on April 30.
Is there a specific protocol stating Myrtle Beach Police have to wait for SLED to finish its investigation or is Myrtle Beach Police making a decision to withhold information?
In Myrtle Beach Police’s rules and regulations handbook, there appears to be no rules explicitly stating the organization has to wait until SLED, or another outside agency, has finished an investigation to release information.
Randolph Angotti, the Myrtle Beach Police spokesperson, declined The Sun News’ interview request for this story.
There is a line in the handbook that states an employee cannot release details that would jeopardize the investigation, prejudice an accused person’s right to a fair trial, or violate any law in the section of the rule book talking about release of information to media.
It’s unclear if disclosing the names of the police officers or sharing body-worn camera footage would create any of the above consequences.
Myrtle Beach Police Chief Amy Prock said in the April 30 press conference that footage from the body-worn cameras are considered evidence and cannot be shared.
SLED has said it is conducting an investigation into the “officer involved shooting,” which is protocol for shootings that involve state law enforcement.
Myrtle Beach Police are also conducting an internal review of the police officers’ use of force. That review, however, is for internal use only, according to the section of the guide book that talks bout Myrtle Beach Police officer involved shooting procedures.
On April 26 at about 11:50 p.m., police said Jerrius Davis, of Bennettsville, fired his gun in the 900 block of North Ocean Boulevard near the Myrtle Beach Boardwalk. A Myrtle Beach Police officer then shot and killed Davis. Eleven people were also injured – some who were also shot.
Myrtle Beach Police have released little information on the 11 injured, stating that at least one was in critical condition on April 30. It is unknown if all 11 people were shot.
Serenity Chavis, a 15-year-old from North Carolina and one of the people injured, said a Myrtle Beach Police officer shot her in the leg, The Sun News reported. She said remembers the officer apologizing to her. A 13-year-old boy was also shot, said civil rights activist John C. Barnett.
Prock urged people to be patient and that Myrtle Beach Police would answer all questions after the investigation is finished. But experts say holding back information could damage the community’s trust with the police department, The Sun News previously reported.
As of May 13, The Sun News has put in numerous Freedom of Information Act requests, ranging from city security footage, personnel files of the involved officers, incident reports and drafts of Bethune and Prock’s written statements at the April 30 press conference, The Sun News reported.
The city released two incident reports from the shooting on Friday, May 9 at 5:04 p.m.
