Here’s what the City of Myrtle Beach has said about downtown curfews
A fatal shooting in downtown Myrtle Beach on Friday night has reignited questions about the city’s curfew policy.
Myrtle Beach already has a curfew policy in place for minors, according to lead city spokesperson Meredith Denari.
The curfew applies to those under 18 and is in effect from midnight to 6 a.m. the following day, under Sec. 14-237 of the City’s Code of Ordinances.
The ordinance states that it’s a misdemeanor for a minor to remain in a public place during curfew hours, or for a parent or guardian to knowingly permit it.
However, there are specific exemptions to the city’s current juvenile curfew ordinance. A minor is allowed to be out in the city during the curfew hours if they are accompanied by a parent or guardian, involved in an emergency or on an errand necessitated by an emergency or on their way to or from work or working.
Minors at work, like the 17-year-old charged with murder after Friday night’s shooting, are exempt from the city’s curfew law.
Further south, the City of Charleston just launched a new youth curfew for the summer on Friday. Any minor whose 17-and-under is prohibited from remaining in a public place, motor vehicle or establishment in the Central Business District between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. seven days a week, the curfew states.
Exceptions include if a minor is accompanied by a responsible adult, on the way to or from work or an errand, interstate travel, responding to an emergency, on the sidewalk next to their home, going to or returning from a school, religious or civic activity and First Amendment activity, according to the ordinance.
“The curfew is designed to promote safety and prevent harm by limiting unsupervised late-night activity among minors in the city’s busiest public space, the Central Business District,” a media release from Charleston said.
A statement from the Charleston Police Chief, Chito Walker, said that the department met with their Youth Citizens Academy to get input on the new curfew ordinance.
“What Charleston has done is a little different from other cities with curfews,” Walker’s statement read. “This ordinance is specific and focused on a small area with high activity, known risk, and repeat late-night issues. We are not casting a wide net. We are using a precise tool for a real problem.”
During a city-run press conference on Saturday afternoon following the shooting, Myrtle Beach Police Department Chief Amy Prock said the Myrtle Beach youth curfew is being “reevaluated at this time.”
This is the third shooting along downtown Myrtle Beach’s Ocean Boulevard within months. In April, a shooting injured 11 people and killed one, and earlier this month, another shooting near Peaches Corner left one person injured from a gunshot.
This story was originally published June 30, 2025 at 12:34 PM.
