Myrtle Beach could release videos and details on downtown shooting. Here’s why they won’t
.JPG "William Gregg, a real-time crime analyst with the Myrtle Beach Police Department monitors over 800 cameras from around the city in the Real Time Crime Center. Feb 06, 2019.")
After a Myrtle Beach police officer fatally shot a teenager, the department has released little information — which reports say could erode public trust.
In the Saturday night shooting, an officer with the Myrtle Beach Police Department shot and killed 18-year-old Jerrius Davis, a release from the South Carolina State Law Enforcement Division said. The shooting also sent 11 people to the hospital.
The MBPD has not named anyone injured, specified the injuries, or explained how they occurred.
Per department policy, the MBPD put three officers on paid administrative leave, but has yet to release the officers’ names or body-worn camera footage. Mayor Brenda Bethune said two officers are in the process of re-integrating as of April 29.
When asked when videos may be released, Bethune said, “That is all SLED. And as we have said before, as soon as SLED has completed their investigation and they release everything, then you can talk to the police department about all of that.”
SLED spokesperson Renee Wunderlich said this is an active and ongoing investigation and every case is “unique.” There is no state law that says that the city needs to wait on SLED to finish their investigation before releasing the names of officers and body camera footage.
SLED confirmed in a release that they will conduct an independent criminal investigation. The scope of the agency’s investigation is limited to the police department’s use of force. They are not responsible for handling the media, releasing footage, releasing officer names or videos.
It’s been almost 72 hours since the shooting took place, thousands of online comments and national media attention from CNN, USA Today and NBC News. The department has not released more than a basic narrative of what happened that night.
“If police departments are interested in keeping or earning trust with communities that don’t trust them, transparency is key,” said Paul Bowers, the director of communications for the South Carolina American Civil Liberties Union.
The Sun News has requested more information on the shooting, including the involved officers’ personnel files and how the 11 people were injured.
“Part of building trust after a shooting is giving out as much information as soon as possible,” Bowers said.
The Sun News has submitted seven Freedom of Information Act requests to multiple local agencies, including the MBPD, the City of Myrtle Beach, Horry County and the Myrtle Beach Downtown Alliance, since Saturday night.
None of the requests were fulfilled as of Tuesday afternoon. The only responses were automated messages from Myrtle Beach’s FOIA system and a confirmation from Horry County that it had received the request.
On Tuesday, The Sun News also requested an interview with Myrtle Beach Police Chief Amy Prock.
Withholding information from the public can break trust with a police department and create negative ideas about the shooting, said attorney Jay Bender, who specializes in media law.
“Every moment the police keep people in the dark, the longer people believe the police officer is in the wrong,” Bender said.
The United States Department of Justice echoes that sentiment.
“The longer the law enforcement agency withholds this information, the greater the appearance that the agency is protecting its own personnel at the expense of transparency within the community,” a guide on Officer Involved Shooting from the International Association of Chiefs of Police states. “Some departments have come under serious criticism for failure to release the names of officers in OIS incidents.”
Bender said he understands why agencies may withhold the names of officers, given how social media users sometimes operate.
The MBPD rules and regulations manual recommends that officers and their immediate family deactivate social media accounts after an “officer-involved shooting.” That may allow officers to delete or scrub their social media before the public knows who to search.
The MBPD will be conducting its own internal investigation.
This story was originally published April 29, 2025 at 4:47 PM.
