AT least one person is dead and 11 injured after a horror mass shooting at a tourist hotspot on Saturday night.
Tourists and families were sent running for cover along Myrtle Beach’s busy Ocean Boulevard after gunfire erupted just before midnight.
Jerrius Davis, 18, from Bennettsville, allegedly fired the weapon in Myrtle Beach, a popular tourist area in South Carolina.
He was shot dead by a police officer, according to local reports.
The teenager was fatally shot at 913 N. Ocean Blvd, which is the location of the popular tourist spot Ripley’s Mirror Maze, as confirmed by Horry County Chief Deputy Coroner Tamara Willard.
The officer, who was reportedly not injured, opened fire in response to an “active threat”, Myrtle Beach Police said.
Horrified bystander Michael Howard, 30, was on vacation from North Carolina with his family and witnessed the moment Davis was shot.
“I saw the guy fall over dead in front of me,” he told Myrtle Beach paper, The Sun News.
He recalled how he had just returned to the scene after taking his niece back to the hotel.
“I remember bullets ringing in my ears,” he said.
Howard said people began scattering when someone shouted “gun” shortly before the shooting.
He also claimed he saw a woman being shot in the knees during the chaos.
Howard said that he and other bystanders would forever be traumatized by the shooting.
The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) has launched an investigation into the shooting.
It will determine whether the use of force by the Myrtle Beach Police officer was justified, according to police spokesperson Randolph Angotti.
North Ocean Boulevard between Eighth and 16th Avenues remained sealed off until Sunday afternoon.
Police tape was draped across streets, as officers investigated areas near Peaches Corner and Ripley’s Crazy Golf.
The incident left both locals and tourists in a state of shock, as eyewitnesses recounted the harrowing experience of seeking refuge in hotel rooms and nearby establishments amidst the sounds of gunfire.
Myrtle Beach Police said: “The department offers its prayers and deepest sympathies to everyone affected by this incident.”
Republican South Carolina Representative, Nancy Mace, responded to news of the shooting on X.
She wrote: “Devastated by the tragic shooting in Myrtle Beach.
“Our hearts are torn apart for the victims and their families.
“South Carolina stands strong, and we will not tolerate violence of any sort in our communities.
“God bless the first responders on the scene.”
