‘You will be caught,’ Myrtle Beach mayor said. 5 days, 1,000 cameras, still no shooter arrest
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‘You will be caught,’ Myrtle Beach mayor said. 5 days, 1,000 cameras, still no shooter arrest
It has been five days, and no arrests have been made in connection to a downtown Myrtle Beach shooting that was caught on video along the city’s busy Ocean Boulevard.
It is the second incident along the main drag to go viral on social media in recent weeks.
The shooting, which occurred on 12th Avenue North and Ocean Boulevard about 7:30 p.m. Saturday, has led to a police investigation but not much else.
Since the shooting video, a police incident report has not been filed, and it is not clear if anyone was injured.
Police have not released a statement regarding the shooting.
Myrtle Beach Mayor Brenda Bethune has weighed in on the investigation, releasing a statement that alludes to the city’s crime.
However, when asked by the Sun News Wednesday why there have been no arrests, Bethune referred to police for answers.
“We have a very safe city,” Bethune said Wednesday in a text message. “Unfortunately we sometimes have people who come here to do the wrong things. With over 1,000 cameras, license plate readers and increased police presence, the message is that if you commit a crime in Myrtle Beach, you will be caught.”
Myrtle Beach Police Department Lt. Bryan Murphy said Tuesday the first call to police regarding Saturday’s events was about spinning tires, a vehicle collision and then shots fired.
In an email from Myrtle Beach Police Chief Amy Prock sent to city leaders Sunday about activity on Saturday, Prock reports about the shooting incident.
“Officers observed two vehicles, where one bumped the other and a verbal exchange occurred. One vehicle fled. Further investigation revealed the incident was recorded and shared on social media and it appears a shot was fired. Detectives investigating and have located the second vehicle in another jurisdiction. More to come,” Prock’s email said.
The police chief updated city leaders about the incident through an email, but has not released a public update on the status of the case. It took a request to a city spokesperson for the email obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request to receive basic information.
In addition, Prock discusses in the email the busyness of Ocean Boulevard that night which included a high-volume of pedestrian and vehicle traffic. She reported that there were multiple traffic and pedestrian stops related to “vehicle violations, pedestrian violations, and noise resulting in arrests for driver violations, loitering, guns, and drugs.”
Officials indicated that the social media video provided to authorities prompted the investigation.
The video shows an altercation between a truck driver and two people in Myrtle Beach that appears to have led to the shooting on the boulevard.
The 54-second video starts off with a truck driver attempting to pull off from behind a black Nissan as a woman stands in front of the truck.
People can be heard yelling in the background as the truck continues to move forward toward the woman. It appears the truck even bumps into the woman, but it is not clear.
At this point, a man approaches the passenger side window of the vehicle, which is open, and appears to have a gun in his hand. His hand, with the item, is hanging on the inside of the truck and is no longer visible in the video.
After a few seconds of talking to the driver, a potential gunshot is heard.
The driver then speeds off toward South Ocean Boulevard, and the man gets in the Nissan on the passenger side.
The woman is no longer visible in the video. It is not immediately clear if she was driving the Nissan and why she was standing in front of the truck.
The video, posted by Alex Strickland, had over 260,000 views Monday. It was posted Saturday at 8:08 p.m. and occurred in front of the Myrtle Beach SkyWheel.
This first incident on Ocean Boulevard was has gained over 1.5 million views on TikTok.
The video shows several police officers pointing their guns as they run up to an occupied car. It then continues as a crowd of people on both sides of the road watch as the two people in the vehicle are detained by police.
Those people were were arrested on various charges.
Terri Richardson of The Sun News contributed to this story.
This story was originally published April 20, 2023 at 11:21 AM.