MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WBTW) – Myrtle Beach Police officers were involved in a shooting Tuesday morning, making this the second officer involved shooting for the department in less than two weeks.
Officers responded to the area of 79th Ave North and Marina Parkway attempting to locate a suicidal person around 10:44 a.m., explains Lt. Crosby. Police were able to find the person and make contact with him near the Intracoastal Waterway.
Lt. Crosby says during the encounter, the man pulled a weapon, causing the officers to fear for their lives. The officers fired their weapons, but Lt. Crosby did not specify how many officers were on scene or how many shots were fired.
The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division and the Horry County Solicitors Office have been called to the scene, Lt. Crosby adds.
Traffic was blocked off at the intersection through 6 p.m. on Tuesday as SLED conducted its investigation.
The man was transported to the hospital following the shooting, but his condition is unknown at this time, confirms Lt. Crosby.
SLED reports the man “was shot and wounded” Tuesday and that agents with the state law enforcement division are investigating. Interviews are being conducted with the responding officers and others, reports Thom Berry with SLED.
Lt. Crosby said no city surveillance cameras are in the area of the shooting.
Officers were wearing body cams and video of the incident will be submitted to SLED during the investigation, says Berry.
Lt. Crosby said the officers involved in Tuesday’s shooting have been placed on administrative duty pending the investigation by SLED and a review of the case by the Horry County Solicitors Office. This is standard protocol for the Myrtle Beach Police when officers are involved in incidents such as this.
Tuesday’s officer involved shooting is the second in two weeks for the Myrtle Beach Police Department. Officers were called to 21st Avenue North and Grissom Parkway just after 3 a.m. March 26 for a report of a man acting strange. When officers arrived they found 55-year-old Donald Andrew White with a gun in his hand.
Lt. Crosby says the officers began talking to White and a negotiator was called to the scene. At some point during the officers’ encounter with White, the man showed the weapon in a manner that made officers fear for their lives, so they fired at him.
According to Horry County Deputy Coroner Michelle McSpadden, White died at Grand Strand Medical Center.
Police say incidents like these highlight the dangers officers face everyday on the job.
“These are dangerous times. We’ve seen an escalation in violence in various incidents that have occurred against police officers,” said Lt. Crosby.
Lt. Crosby added that officers need to be prepared for anything when responding to a call.
“Whether prepared means knowing how to handle a call for service with the knowledge they have for applicable laws and regulations; or it could mean fighting for their lives, so officers have to be ready for any type of situation at any time,” said Lt. Crosby.
In 2015 there were no shootings involving officers with the Myrtle Beach Police Department of the 48 officer involved shooting incidents in South Carolina. SLED reports Tuesday’s shooting is the 12th officer involved shooting in the state so far in 2016, and the second involving a Myrtle Beach Police officer.
