NC teenager charged with murder in connection to shooting near Myrtle Beach
A North Carolina teenager was arrested and charged with murder in connection to a shooting that happened on Halloween weekend in Horry County.
Leo Watkins, 17, of Henderson, North Carolina, is charged with murder and criminal conspiracy in the incident, which took place either late Oct. 29 or early Oct. 30, according to the Horry County Coroner’s Office.
Watkins was booked into J. Reuben Long Detention Center on Friday and bail has not been set, according to online records.
Horry County police went to Shore Drive in Horry County on Oct. 29 for the report of an intoxicated male, according to an incident report. The victim was found lying on the sidewalk with a broken arm.
The victim — later identified as Patrick Smith, 49, of Marshville, North Carolina — told police he believed he had been hit by a car, according to the police report. Police say he was not intoxicated.
Smith was taken to a local hospital, where he died of a gunshot wound on Oct. 31, according to the coroner’s office.
Police did not mention a shooting in the police report but on Monday confirmed Watkins is charged with murder in connection to a shooting in this incident.
This story was originally published November 8, 2021 at 3:29 PM.
