‘Lock it down:' Dashcam footage gives look into major North Myrtle Beach police response on night of accidental shooting

Yahoo

2 days ago

NORTH MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WBTW) — By the time North Myrtle Beach police arrived at the Harbourgate Marina Club on the night of May 25 for reports of an officer shot, tensions were already running high.
Just a few minutes earlier, a mass shooting broke out in nearby Little River, and it was impossible to know in real time whether the two incidents were connected.
More than six hours of dashcam video obtained by News13 through a Freedom of Information Act request shine a light on how those chaotic several hours in North Myrtle Beach played out. Ultimately, authorities would determine that the officer — whose name still has not been released — accidently shot himself in the leg twice from his own rifle.
An incident report also provided to News13 says that at the time of the gun went off, the officer 'had both of his hands on the gate, which was confirmed by later video evidence.' Body camera and witness footage showing that moment has not yet been made public. News13 has requested both from the department but have yet to hear back.
North Myrtle Beach police say officer accidentally shot himself in leg during Little River shooting response
While the dashcam footage portrays a chaotic response, it's often unclear whether radio communications refer to the officer's shooting or the incident on the party boat on Watson Avenue near Harbourgate Marina.
Just before 9:45 p.m., an officer is heard on a police radio giving orders as he and others rush to the marina.
'When you come to the scene, lock it down.'
'Let's get somebody on the swing bridge, too.'
'Make sure we lock down all egresses to Cherry Grove, too.'
Minutes later, the officer makes a request.
'Give us some info. Give us a description or something.'
'All we know is shots fired, and he got shot in the leg,' another officer says.
Officials then decided to use a Hampton Inn parking lot as a command post while law enforcement built up their presence.
By 9:46 p.m., a thermal drone was put into the air, searching around the bridge and nearby parking lots.
'Until we figure out what's going on, everybody stay still,' an officer said. An ambulance arrived at nearly the same time; so did a South Carolina Law Enforcement tactical team.
'All units, watch for crossfire. We're getting ready for SLED's [tactical] team right now. Hold your posts, keep it friendly,' an officer says.
It's now 10:40 p.m., and officers are seen with rifles drawn, taking cover behind a vehicle. Possible movement had been detected inside a houseboat, and authorities aren't taking any chances.
Dashcam footage shows a ballistic shield being draped across the front of a South Carolina Highway Patrol cruiser before a trooper gives commands.
'Occupants of the houseboat, the blue-and-white houseboat, this is the state police,' he says. 'Come outside with your hands up. Come outside with your hands up. Do it now. We are not going away.'
On the left side of the screen, a flash of light can be seen in the air — a telltale signature of the thermal drone that had been previously deployed.
A few minutes before 11 p.m., an officer radios with a situational update.
'Right now, we are flying a drone into the target's location that's a houseboat. We also are doing extract. About eight boats down, there's a female that's on the vessel, and they've extracted her and moved her out', the officer says.
'If the drone sees nothing on that boat, we're going to clear that boat with a team and a K9, and then we're going to use assets there to go boat-by-boat and clear every single boat in that marina. We have a perimeter set up,' he continues.
A city police report said the scene was eventually handed over to SLED.
In the hours of footage News13 obtained, it does not include the moment officials learned the officer shot himself and stood down.
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Adam Benson joined the News13 digital team in January 2024. He is a veteran South Carolina reporter with previous stops at the Greenwood Index-Journal, Post & Courier and The Sun News in Myrtle Beach. Adam is a Boston native and University of Utah graduate. Follow Adam on X, formerly Twitter, at @AdamNewshound12. See more of his work here.
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Adrianna Lawrence is a multimedia journalist at News13. Adrianna is originally from Virginia Beach, Virginia, and joined the News13 team in June 2023 after graduating from Virginia Commonwealth University in May 2023. Keep up with Adrianna on Instagram, Facebook, and X, formerly Twitter. You can also read more of her work here.
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