Shooting victim identified; police still investigating

Horry County police are investigating after the shooting death of a 29-year-old man Thursday night, police said.

Kendale Jermain Herring, 29, of Green Sea, was killed in the shooting, according to Horry County Deputy Coroner Tony Hendrick.

He was pronounced dead at the scene. An autopsy is scheduled for Friday afternoon, Hendrick said.

Police were called about 9:30 p.m. to a home on Olive Drive in the Green Sea section of Horry County after the shooting happened, police said.

Authorities quickly learned the alleged shooter had left the scene, and detectives believe they are close to identifying the suspect at this time, Lt. Raul Denis, Horry County police spokesman, said Friday morning.

Police arrived to find a 29-year-old victim lying at the back of the residence with a blood-soaked towel while Horry County Fire Rescue workers were administrating first aid, but soon after those workers told police they couldn’t find any signs of life and stopped life-saving measures, authorities said.

About 20 to 30 people present at the scene, and it erupted into a “very volatile and emotional situation” for everyone once it was learned the victim was deceased, according to the incident report.

In the midst of all the chaos there, a white sheet was placed over the victim while authorities struggled to control the crowd and remove the friends and family of the victim while they tried to preserve evidence at the crime scene, the report stated.

During the investigation, an officer was told by a bystander that there was a man present with a gun, police said.

Brian A. Gaddy, 26, of Loris was stopped and questioned by police who said they found a loaded Taurus 740 .40 caliber handgun in his front pocket that he was carrying illegally, police said.

Gaddy was arrested and booked at the J. Reuben Long Detention Center and a warrant for unlawful possession of a firearm is pending.

Anyone with information about the shooting can call the Horry County police tip line at 843-915-8477.

This story was originally published November 6, 2015 at 10:45 AM with the headline "Shooting victim identified; police still investigating."