Top stories from The Sun News for April 21, 2026. What you need to know today
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A wildfire forced evacuations in Carolina Forest, while Myrtle Beach residents pushed for a bigger voice in choosing the city’s next police chief. Here’s what else made news along the Grand Strand.
Here are key takeaways:
• Carolina Forest wildfire: A 7-acre wildfire near North Shore Drive and Red Wolf Trail prompted the evacuation of three homes and voluntary evacuations at nearby multi-unit complexes Tuesday afternoon, with South Carolina Forestry Commission deploying plows, a reconnaissance plane and water tanker planes to fight the blaze.
• Police chief search: About 40 residents attended a community input session Monday at the Mary C. Canty Recreation Center, criticizing the Myrtle Beach Police Department’s lack of transparency and community policing as the city prepares to hire a replacement for retired Chief Amy Prock, with the job posting expected by mid-May.
• Child abuse arrest: North Myrtle Beach police charged Gavin Tyler Bell, 22, with unlawful conduct toward a child after his 2-month-old was found to have broken ribs and a brain bleed that hospital staff attributed to shaking.
• Hotel stabbing: Jeffrey Alonzo Keitt, 88, was charged with two counts of assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature after allegedly stabbing two people during an argument over rent at the Quail Inn and Suites on South Ocean Boulevard — the second stabbing at a Myrtle Beach business in a week.
The summary points above were compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists. The source reporting referenced above was written and edited entirely by journalists.
