10 masked people in yard before shots fired into car with woman, 7-year-old

Local police are searching for several suspects after dozens of shots were fired within an 18-hour window in the Hemingway Chapel Road area of Conway.

Around 7 p.m. Tuesday, police say several shots were fired at an SUV with a 7-year-old inside. Horry County said the driver and child were near the 1500 block of Hemingway Chapel Road when they approached an SUV, which was parked in a driveway facing oncoming traffic.

When the victim slowed her vehicle down, she saw armed people, according to the incident report. The SUV pulled away and suspects in another vehicle, possibly a gray Dodge Charger, shouted at her and shots were fired.

The victim’s vehicle was shot four times and she fled. The victim and the child were not hurt.

Witnesses said there were as many as 10 masked people in the yard, police say. The damage to the victim’s vehicle appeared to come from a backyard.

Police officers found shell casings in the roadway and a backyard. James Allen and his 5-year-old son live in the home, but were away during the shooting.

“It was shocking,” Allen said, “cause it was so close.”

Allen returned home to find seven bullet holes in a broken down, gold sedan. There also was a bullet hole in a corner of his mobile home. On Wednesday, he showed off the damage as well as tire tracks the suspects left throughout his yard.

Allen said he doesn’t know why the suspects were on his property. That left him worried. He also was concerned for the woman and her child that were in the SUV.

“I’m just glad she’s alright,” Allen said.

About 18 hours later, around 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, Conway police responded to another shots fired report along the road, this time near the 1100 block. City spokeswoman Taylor Newell said police did find some shell casings, but there were no reported injuries.

It’s not clear at this time if the shootings are related. Hemingway Chapel Road is policed by both Horry County and Conway because of the jurisdictional lines surrounding the neighborhoods.

Anyone with information on the incident is asked to contact police at 843-915-TIPS.

The shootings are the latest in a week-long string of high-profile incidents in Horry County. A 57-year-old man was murdered on Aug. 15 at a Food Lion in Longs before a string of armed robberies that continued into North Carolina. Three days later a father and son were found shot to death in the Conway area. On Tuesday, Terry Lee Blye, 58, died by homicide at an Adrian Highway home.

This story was originally published August 22, 2018 at 10:19 AM.