Duo killed in Myrtle Beach was known for charity in Racepath, Kingstree areas
Two lives, gone.
In a matter of minutes, a quiet Monday morning in Myrtle Beach turned deadly. A barrage of bullets ended the lives of men known for their charity work across the Grand Strand.
Police have released few details about what happened at Allen’s Food Basket off U.S. 501 on Oct. 12. One man is behind bars in connection to the case, and police are searching for others who were at the restaurant. Several other victims went to the hospital for treatment after the shooting.
Officers have pleaded with the community for information on the shooting.
The families of the two men killed—Darius Hemingway and Antonio Woods—spoke of how neither would have been the one to cause the shooting. They were the type of people that looked out for others and didn’t cause trouble—except maybe for a stolen popsicle as a child or wreaking havoc on a local basketball court.
Hemingway was perhaps most known for his charity work in the Racepath community and his up-and-coming rap career.
“If he didn’t know you, he would make you feel comfortable,” said Carlos Spivey, a cousin and seeming big brother to Hemingway.
Woods was known in the Kingstree area of Williamsburg County and served as a mentor to many.
“He was hero, a family man, devoted father, son, brother, and loving companion,” Woods’ companion Kahali Lance noted.
What happened?
Myrtle Beach police responded to Allen’s Food Basket about 4:30 a.m. Oct. 12 for the reported shooting. Hemingway died at the scene and Woods died from his injuries at the hospital.
At least three other victims went to the hospital.
Myrtle Beach police have not provided specific details about what led to the shooting inside the quiet restaurant. The investigation continues and Cpl. Thomas Vest said officers are searching for others who were inside Allen’s Food Basket.
Samual Frye, 21, was initially and charged with being an accessory to a felony or murder. Police announced a day later that they were charging him with murder and attempted murder. His arrest warrants detail him as the getaway driver from the shooting.
Police used surveillance video to track a vehicle registered to Frye from the scene. They say he tried to get rid of the car after fleeing the area.
During a bond hearing on the accessory charge, Frye said he joined the Air Force at 18 years old to get away from problems in his neighborhood in New Jersey.
“Somehow, I don’t know why, my name got mixed up in the investigation,” Frye said.
Antonio Woods
Woods was in the Navy and served as a mentor to many, Lance, his companion, wrote in a Facebook message, unable to talk about Woods’ death. If anyone needed anything, Woods was there.
“We the Woods Family are devastated by this senseless act of violence,” Lance wrote.
Lance pleaded for anyone with information, no matter how small to reach out to the police. “We need justice for all the victims,” he said.
Woods grew up in the Kingstree area of Williamsburg County, his aunt Peggy Lee Woods said. The two families were close and Peggy Lee Woods described her as Antonio’s “1A” mom. As a youngster, Antonio was a leader to the other neighborhood children.
“When you saw Antonio, you saw the rest of them because they were right behind him,” Peggy Lee Woods said. “They were like his little crew.”
Woods would often break into his grandmother’s or Peggy’s refrigerators to find whatever popsicles were hidden inside, Peggy Lee Woods said. He would then distribute them to the other kids in the neighborhood.
Even in trouble, Woods was never disrespectful and always answered “yes ma’am” or “no ma’am,” Peggy Lee Woods said.
Woods was different than the other children in one way, his aunt noted, as he was often nose deep in a book. She affectionately referred to him as a nerd.
“You find him in the corner with his legs crossed reading a book,” she said. “If he saw a book, he was going to pick it up and read it.”
As he grew older, Woods kept his same attitude, Peggy Lee Woods said. He cared for his grandfather, holding parties in the neighborhood and putting on Fourth of July fireworks shows in the backyard.
“He was always the one out of the group. ‘let’s have a cookout, let’s have a party.’” Peggy Lee Woods said. “I don’t care what funds you had, whether you had funds or no funds, we was going to have a cookout.”
Darius Hemingway
Carlos Spivey was Hemingway’s cousin, who grew up next door in Racepath. Spivey said Hemingway was like his little brother and always hung out with the older kids.
There is no way the shooter could have known Hemingway because if they did, they wouldn’t have raised a gun to the 30-year-old, Spivey said.
“To know him is to love him,” Spivey said.
Many nights growing up were spent in one of their houses laughing and trying not to be the first one to fall asleep. If you were it, likely meant you were the victim to a prank, Spivey said.
“We would stay up all night and like fall asleep anywhere on the floor,” Hemingway said. “We had plenty of nights like that where we just laughed all night.”
As Hemingway grew older, he got into basketball and became a star for Myrtle Beach High School.
That is when Troy Hendrix first got to know Hemingway. Hendrix played for Conway High School and the two schools were rivals. On the court, when Hemingway beat his opponent on the dribble or hit a shot over someone, he would get a little smirk across his face. There was more than one time, Hendrix admitted, that he wanted to wipe the grin off his face.
Hendrix and Hemingway became closer after high school and spent more time together. Hemingway was an aspiring rapper who released music videos and shared his career on Facebook. Hendrix said he would challenge Hemingway in a rap battle, but never stood a chance.
Hemingway might be most known for his charity work in the Racepath community. He participated in Thanksgiving and Christmas giveaways and would help others in the community.
“He wanted to bring a lot more back to Myrtle Beach,” Hendrix said. “He had a good heart.”
While many 30-year-olds are more interested in selfish endeavors, that wasn’t the case for Hemingway, said Schanski Hemingway, his sister-in-law. She described him as a gentle person, who was always respectful.
“He was always humble, always kind, always thoughtful,” she said.
Hemingway’s death is a tremendous loss for Racepath and the Myrtle Beach communities, Schanski Hemingway said.
“It’s just like cutting off the branch of one of your favorite trees in the yard,” she said.
On the day of the shooting, Spivey, who lives in California, started to get text messages that asked if he was OK on the day of the shooting. He was confused until a friend texted and told him to pick up the phone. He didn’t know what to expect, but knew it likely wasn’t good news.
He never expected to hear Hemingway’s name.
“I really didn’t expect him to say Darius. That was like the extremely last person that I expected to hear something happened to him,” Spivey said.
While the news was difficult to comprehend, Spivey said he expects it to hit home the next time he is in Myrtle Beach and can’t find Hemingway. Still, he wanted people to know that his spirit will remain in the community.
“He’s still around,” Spivey said. “He’s still here. He’s still with us.”
