Are you safe in downtown Myrtle Beach this weekend? What residents & tourists need to know
As Friday and Saturday night approach, two city council members responded to inquiries about public safety concerns following a week of no public comment from the council after the shooting.
City police confirmed that no new additional safety measures will be implemented in downtown Myrtle Beach following a fatal shooting on April 26.
Friday afternoon, around 3 p.m., as weekend festivities were beginning, Myrtle Beach Police Department spokesperson Randolph Angotti directed The Sun News to a new post on the department’s Facebook page. The post was seemingly created after a local reporters’ inquiry into safety concerns downtown.
According to the announcement, this weekend MBPD is upstaffing internally, getting support from outside personnel, implementing a traffic plan known as “flushing,” using intelligence-led policing and using resources, including technology.
However, all of these measures and techniques were also in place last weekend when the shooting occurred, Angotti confirmed.
Details about which outside agencies are providing support and how much the department is increasing staffing weren’t specified.
“Officers will be visible to our residents and visitors on foot, bicycle, and in vehicles,” the Friday afternoon post read. “This weekend, like all others, we encourage ‘if you see something, say something.’”
Many questions still remain unanswered following a fatal shooting that killed 18-year-old Jerrius Davis and injured 11 others on Ocean Boulevard in downtown Myrtle Beach.
The City of Myrtle Beach publicly promoted on social media an event less than a week later in the same area where the shooting took place. The event is the F1rst Friday Art Walk and is hosted by the Myrtle Beach Downtown Alliance.
The post made no mention of new safety measures downtown or the fatal shooting. The MBDA has not posted about last Saturday’s shooting, and earlier this week, MBDA President Jason Greene said the organization doesn’t oversee public safety implementation.
With limited answers from city officials, local media has turned to city council members for answers.
On Friday morning, The Sun News emailed council members Mike Lowder, Mike Chesnut, Debbie Conner, Jackie Hatley, Bill McClure, and Gregg Smith to ask if the city had adopted any new safety measures after last weekend’s violent event.
McClure spoke with The Sun News via phone several times to try to get answers to what the city was doing to keep residents and visitors safe this weekend. He consulted with city leadership and responded via email saying that there’s no need for additional safety measures downtown following last Saturday.
“However, the MBPD response was immediate, and in my view prevented even more injuries from occurring,” his email read. “I have not heard anyone from the media or the public who feels the response to that incident was anything less than professional. MBPD’s safety and security plan for the downtown area worked flawlessly.”
McClure then wrote that the city could’ve done a better job briefing the public on what happened “on a more timely basis.”
“I am confident, however, that will never happen again,” he wrote.
Smith also responded via email saying he’s thankful for the police department’s professionalism.
“Questions about any changes to the security plan, new initiatives, or protocols are best answered by the police department,” his email stated.
The remaining council members did not respond before publication.
Another local Grand Strand media outlet, WBTW, reported on Friday that they also had requested interviews with Myrtle Beach City Council. Only one unnamed council member responded, declining.
The Sun News has submitted Freedom of Information Act requests to the Myrtle Beach Police Department asking for overtime costs and requests from officers.
The Sun News reporter Maria Elena Scott contributed reporting to this story.
This story was originally published May 2, 2025 at 4:22 PM.
