Coroner IDs Loris homicide victim. Horry County police continue to investigate shooting
An 18-year-old was gunned down in a wooded area near a Loris cemetery on Monday night, and police are offering a reward for information leading to the arrest of the killer.
Around 6:15 p.m., Horry County police responded to Flag Patch Cemetery Road in the Loris area. There, officers found Martrellyiz Vereen dead from a gunshot and lying face up behind a car. The Horry County Coroner’s Office identified Vereen on Tuesday and called his death a homicide. The coroner’s office estimated the shooting happened just before Vereen was found.
Police found Vereen along a dirt road near Flag Patch Cemetery off S.C. Highway 9. The cemetery is surrounded by woods and littered with trash.
Members of Vereen’s family gathered until after midnight near the site as police investigated. Family members declined to talk to The Sun News.
Horry County police asked anyone with information about the case to contact the department at 843-915-8477. A $1,000 reward is being offered for information leading to an arrest.
Vereen was a senior at Loris High School and worked at a Wendy’s in North Myrtle Beach. Loris High Principal Richard Crumley wrote on Facebook that counselors were available to help students or staff impacted by the loss.
“We are grieving for the loss of a young life and its infinite possibilities; and, we pray for the family, friends, and students most affected by this event,” he wrote.
Vereen also spent time as an usher at Freemont Missionary Baptist Church. Vice-chair of the usher board Mary Bellamy said Vereen was never a problem.
“Always a sweet guy,” Bellamy said, “always well mannered.”
Bellamy echoed those thoughts and said if she asked Vereen to do something, it got done.
“He was a very humble person,” Bellamy said, adding that Sundays without him will be tough. “It’s going to be very difficult. It’s going to be awful.”
This story was originally published March 26, 2019 at 10:15 AM.
