4 days ago
Little River shooting suspect was a member of the U.S. Navy, commander confirms
CONWAY, S.C. (WBTW) — It's been more than a week since a gunman opened fire at a chartered party boat in Little River during Memorial Day Weekend, injuring at least 11 people. More details have been released about the 19-year-old suspect arrested states away.
U.S. Navy Records confirm Shawon Shamarion Williams, who was arrested outside the Great Lakes Naval Base in Lake County, Illinois, was a member of the Navy, and had enlisted on June 6, 2023.
According to public Facebook posts from his mother, Jacklyn Bellamy, Williams enlisted just days after graduating from North Myrtle Beach High School.
Commander Jessica L. McNulty, spokesperson for the U.S. Navy Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, released the following statement to WBTW reporters:
'We can confirm that Hull Maintenance Technician Seaman (HTSN) Shawon Williams, assigned to Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Command Great Lakes, was arrested by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service on May 29, 2025. NCIS transferred custody of this Sailor to local authorities.'
As of Monday morning, Williams is awaiting transportation from the Lake County Jail to the Jay Reuben Long Detention Facility, according to Deputy Chief Christopher Covelli of the Lake County Sheriff's Office.
Williams's mother, Bellamy hosted the party where the shooting occurred. Her Facebook page says she is from Longs. WBTW reporters found an address listed under her name on public records, but nobody was home, and it looked like nobody had been for a long time.
WBTW reporters have been attempting to contact Bellamy since Thursday, when she told reporters in regards to her son, 'He is innocent, that's all.'
The Horry County Police Department said more arrests could be made in connection with the shooting.
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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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