Suspect remains hospitalized following weekend fatal shooting at Myrtle Beach nightclub
The suspect in a fatal weekend shooting at a Myrtle Beach nightclub remained hospitalized, Myrtle Beach police Lt. Joey Crosby said Tuesday morning.
Authorities had started the process to close the club under a public nuisance standard before Sunday’s shooting, 15th Circuit Solicitor Jimmy Richardson said Tuesday.
The suspect has not been served with arrest warrants in the case, so authorities have not released his identity, Crosby said.
Saequan Lamar Vereen, 23, of Myrtle Beach, died after he was shot about 2:30 a.m. Sunday at Club Levelz at 515 Ninth Ave. N., authorities said.
Vereen suffered trauma to his vital organs in the shooting, Horry County Deputy Coroner Darris Fowler said.
Officers were called to the club about 2:40 a.m. Sunday and found Vereen and the suspect a short distance away, according to the report. Officers secured the area and quarantined the crime scene while detectives and crime scene officers arrived.
No other details were listed in the report.
On Sunday, Crosby said Vereen was found on the sidewalk at the club and security guards hired by club management detained the suspect.
The shooting remains under investigation.
Before the shooting the solicitor’s office had been asked by Myrtle Beach police to serve a notice of abatement to club owners about the club being a public nuisance, Richardson said.
“We had already started that process before Sunday. There were numerous complaints that the City of Myrtle Beach had worked before that,” Richardson said. “We review the evidence the police or the investigators bring to us.”
The abatement notice was served Sunday and club owners have 10 days to bring the club up to the specifications authorities asked for before officials will file a civil motion to close the club, Richardson said. The solicitor’s office contracts with the Battle Law Firm to handle such issues because they are civil matters.
A judge will review the case and decide if authorities have met the preponderance of evidence to shut the club down, Richardson said. Officials look at the number of calls and resources police have used at a business during a specific time period, if there has been reports of prostitution or drug sales and any requests from neighbors about patrons at a business.
It isn’t the first time Myrtle Beach officials have sought help closing a business where violence or numerous complaints have occurred, officials said.
In 2012, Tequila Empire at 1012 S. Kings Highway was closed after it was deemed a public nuisance. A club that had been in the same building was also declared a public nuisance and closed earlier.
Officials also closed a Georgetown County club and a couple of adult entertainment clubs in the last couple of years, Richardson said.
Contact TONYA ROOT at 444-1723 or on Twitter @tonyaroot.
This story was originally published February 17, 2015 at 10:58 AM with the headline "Suspect remains hospitalized following weekend fatal shooting at Myrtle Beach nightclub."