Three charged after Myrtle Beach drug deal turned homicide, police say
Three people have been arrested in connection to a double homicide in Myrtle Beach this week.
Brady Gilcrease, 20, Brandon Hembree, 21 and Daniel Hembree, 20, are each charged with two counts of murder, Myrtle Beach police announced Sunday afternoon.
The Horry County Coroner’s Office identified the victims of Thursday night’s double homicide as Ja’Leel Stephens, 19, and Kanon Cook Melvin, 21. Stephens and Melvin were both from Fayetteville, N.C., according to Chief Deputy Coroner Tamara Willard.
Stephens and Melvin were fatally shot about 8:15 p.m. at Willoughby Lane, which is near the intersection of 44th Avenue and Robert Grissom Parkway, said Cpl. Tom Vest with the Myrtle Beach Police Department.
The shooting happened after a fight broke out during a drug deal, police said. The fight was between an unspecified number of people, including Stephens and Melvin, according to a press release from the Myrtle Beach Police Department. The fight escalated and led to the firing of “several” gunshots, after which a car fled, the release states.
When police arrived, they found Stephens and Melvin had been shot and were suffering from severe injuries.
About 11 p.m., Vest said that the two had died from their injuries.
Myrtle Beach police are using traffic cameras in their investigation.
This story was originally published June 11, 2021 at 10:08 AM.
