Open records request reveals seventh shooting on Father’s Day weekend

The Sun News has identified a seventh shooting over the three-day period around Father’s Day weekend, this one on Cedar Street.

On June 18, a witness reported to Myrtle Beach police that she saw a man holding a gun aimed at the woods between buildings B and C at 200 Cedar St. She heard a total of two gunshots, and then saw the man get in a vehicle. She reported seeing multiple vehicles leave the scene.

Police found a shell casing and a blood splatter at the location, according to the report. The case is still under investigation, according to Lt. Joey Crosby of Myrtle Beach Police.

P2C, the police department’s online system for incident reports, was not working during at least part of Fathers’ Day weekend. The Sun News was alerted to the Cedar Street shooting after receiving documents from a Freedom of Information request on Thursday. In a document, an email from Police Chief Amy Prock noted the incident.

The P2C website was down that weekend because of technical issues, Crosby said.

All of the shootings in the three-day period around Father’s Day weekend include:

• Around 4:30 p.m. on June 17, officers responded to a shooting at Coastal Grand Mall, where one victim was transported to the hospital with a non-life-threatening injury. Darrell Gore, 18, of Myrtle Beach, has been arrested in connection with the incident.
• Around 4:40 p.m. on the same day, officers responded to the Crown Reef Motel at 2913 S. Ocean Blvd. for a shooting. Two men have been arrested in connection with that incident.
• A shooting at 5th Avenue North and Ocean Boulevard shortly after midnight on June 18 sent six to the hospital. Police have apprehended but not released the name of the shooter, who they say is a 17-year-old male from North Carolina recovering in the hospital.
• A witness reported she heard a gunshot at 200 Cedar St. around 1:35 p.m. the same day.
• A shooting was reported around 3:15 p.m. the same day within a public restroom at 12th Avenue North and Withers Drive, near the SkyWheel. The incident is still under investigation.
• At 9:05 p.m. that same day, officers were called to the Dunes Village resort at 5200 N. Ocean Blvd. for a report of gunshots. Officers were unable to identify a victim, and police said witnesses declined to speak with them. The incident is still under investigation.
• On June 19 at roughly 9 p.m., police responded to the Lazy G Motel at 405 27th Ave. N. where one victim declined medical assistance and declined to talk with police. The incident is still under investigation.

Crosby said that when victims or witnesses decline to cooperate with police, it hampers officers’ ability to gather enough evidence for probable cause for an arrest.

The string of violence led to a public meeting where residents and business owners voiced frustration with the city. Gov. Henry McMaster also has pledged the state’s policing support for the rest of the summer.

News of the Father’s Day weekend’s violence spread quickly on social media, particularly after one visitor broadcast the June 18 shooting at 5th Avenue North live on Facebook.

It also led may vacationers to email the city with their frustrations, according to messages provided by the city after the Freedom of Information request.

“After seeing the Facebook video, I have cancelled my vacation plans in your city,” Ken Schwartz wrote to city Spokesman Mark Kruea. “Don’t want to vacation in a war zone.”

This story was originally published July 6, 2017 at 4:20 PM with the headline "Open records request reveals seventh shooting on Father’s Day weekend."