Update: Teen fatally shot in downtown Myrtle Beach, SC in town for basketball tournament
A 16-year-old in town for a basketball tournament is dead after being shot along a beach access in Myrtle Beach, according to Horry County Chief Deputy Coroner Tamara Willard.
Jakolbi Taylor, of Roanoke, Virginia, was shot near the 16th Avenue North beach access point around 1:15 a.m. on Saturday. He died on the scene, Willard said. The Myrtle Beach Police Department is investigating the shooting.
Jakolbi, a rising junior, was playing in a national basketball tournament in Myrtle Beach over the weekend, said Baraun Davis, who has coached Jakolbi. He had known Jakolbi for over 10 years, working as his coach multiple times. Jakolbi was an honor student and avid basketball player, according to a Facebook post from his aunt Briana Taylor.
“(Jakolbi was) a good-spirited kid. We always called him a dog on the court or on the football field,” Davis said. “He was gonna give it his all on the court, on the field, in the classroom and he was just a lovable kid.”
His grandmother, Paula Basham, posted a video on Facebook where she said Jakolbi, “bumped into somebody or something and some words were exchanged.” The exchange resulted in Jakolbi being shot near the beach access.
Myrtle Beach Police have not arrested anyone as of 11 a.m. on Monday. The Sun News reached out to several family members on Facebook and did not hear back before publication.
Davis said Jakolbi hoped to make it big in basketball, a sport he loved. He was also very close with his grandmother, who Davis said attended most of his games.
“My nephew will never get to fulfill his dreams and live out his potential because of senseless gun violence,” Briana wrote in a Facebook post.”
This story was originally published July 21, 2024 at 9:37 AM.
