Suspect in Little River boat-party shooting wasn't alone, victims' attorney says
HORRY COUNTY, S.C. (WBTW) — A suspect arrested in the Little River mass shooting over the Memorial Day weekend wasn't alone the night of the incident, according to an attorney representing three of the 11 victims.
Shawon Shamarion Williams, 19, was arrested Thursday in Lake County, Illinois, near Chicago. Deputy Chief Chris Covelli with the Lake County Sheriff's Office said officers arrested Williams outside the Naval Station Great Lakes.
Little River shooting latest episode of high-profile crimes since March
Williams signed an extradition warrant Friday morning and will be returned to Horry County to face charges in the shooting, which happened Sunday night while the Hurricane II boat was docked in the Watson Avenue area in Little River. Horry County police said on Wednesday that the event was 'isolated in nature.'
Brooke Wright, an attorney representing three victims who were on the chartered party boat where the shooting occurred, said her clients saw Williams lift his shirt to reveal a firearm stashed in his waistband. She added that all of the 120 passengers, except for Williams and another male with him, received security pat-downs.
'The person who has been arrested by the police is definitely the same person that had a gun in his waistband that an eyewitness identified,' Wright said.
She added that her clients and the witnesses she talked to saw Williams hand a gun to the other male. They left the area together in a vehicle after the shooting.
North Myrtle Beach police say officer accidentally shot himself in leg during Little River shooting response
Williams is the son of Jacklyn Bellamy, known as 'Jackie-O,' who organized the party on the Hurricane II, a boat owned by Hurricane Fleet LLC. Wright is hoping to take action against the charter boat company.
'I believe that the boat is responsible for hiring security, and they owned and controlled that boat,' Wright said. 'They had a duty to protect the people on the boat. 'They certainly had a duty to have security and to have reasonable security measures to prevent any foreseeable risk of crime, like the shooting that occurred.'
News13 spoke with an attorney who represents Hurricane Fleet, who told reporters that the company hired no personnel other than the crew members required on the vessel, as per the United States Coast Guard.
According to Wright, witnesses saw both Williams and the other male drinking at the party before the shooting occurred. However, the attorney, who chose to remain anonymous, said Hurricane Fleet did not provide any alcohol at the event.
News13 reached out to Bellamy about her son's arrest but received no response. On Thursday, she had previously told a reporter, 'He is innocent, that's all.'
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Shelby Martin is a multimedia journalist who joined the News13 team in May 2025. Shelby is from Orange County, California, and graduated in 2023 from California State University, Fullerton. You can read more of her work here.
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Dennis Bright is the Digital Executive Producer at News13. He joined the team in May 2021. Dennis is a West Virginia native and a graduate of Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia. Follow Dennis on Facebook, X, formerly Twitter, and read more of his work here.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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