Man who died in police stand-off near Surfside Beach was a disorderly tenant, SLED says

A Charleston man that died after exchanging gunfire with police at a motel Sunday in the Surfside Beach area was a disorderly tenant, according to the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division.

Hendrix Washington, 39, died at the scene of the stand-off at Road Side Inn. The Horry County Coroner’s Office identified him Monday.

The police stand-off, which lasted until Monday morning, also left an officer with minor injuries.

That unidentified officer was hospitalized after he was hit on the head with shrapnel but was released shortly after.

Once officers arrived to the motel for the disturbance call, Washington began firing a weapon before barricading himself in his room, according to the SLED report.

Later, both police and Washington shot at each other.

Washington was originally from Charleston but had been residing in the Conway area, the coroner’s office said in a statement. An autopsy has been ordered this week.

The hours-long stand off closed part of Highway 17 Business, according to police.

This incident makes it the Horry County Police Department’s first police shooting this year. There were none last year, SLED reported.

The agency conducts investigations on police shootings at the request of local departments.

This story was originally published February 1, 2023 at 8:05 AM.