In 2025, a series of high-profile violent crimes made headlines in Myrtle Beach, triggering temporary and long-term changes in policing in the city.
With tourist season approaching in just a few months, Myrtle Beach visitors will see some changes when it comes to public safety following the shootings and robberies in the spring and summer.
Public safety also became a focus of debate and discussion during the Myrtle Beach mayoral race, which ended with Mark Kruea ousting incumbent Brenda Bethune.
Bethune and Myrtle Beach Police Chief Amy Prock have been criticized for how the city has handled some crimes, including a review of transparency and public outreach after major shootings in the spring.
Here’s how these events are changing the direction of public safety in the city.
Downtown crime drives Myrtle Beach public safety conversation
A fatal shooting in April, involving Jerrius Davis, 18, who was shot by police, set a somber tone as tourists began flocking to the Grand Strand as the weather warmed. Davis was visiting Myrtle Beach from Bennettsville when he allegedly fired into a crowd on Ocean Drive.
In addition to the teen’s death, the shooting injured 11 people and triggered a months-long investigation into the officer’s involvement.
The incident sparked public calls for more transparency in law enforcement, as well as concerns about youth crime and inner-city safety.
The next month, four young men aged 19 to 21 were arrested on more than five counts in connection with a series of armed robberies in a Myrtle Beach tourist area. The charges include carjacking and kidnapping in addition to armed robbery.
Like Davis, the young men involved in the crimes were from outside the area – a fact local law enforcement officials emphasized in statements after the arrests. Three of those arrested were from Columbia and the fourth was from Lexington, Kentucky.
Myrtle Beach Police Investigations Captain Traci Chanaca said in a video statement that the incidents were part of a “disturbing trend” of young people visiting the city and committing crimes.
In June, another fatal shooting occurred in downtown Myrtle Beach, months after Davis was killed in the same popular tourist area, and this time the young man involved was local.
The shooting occurred at the popular Peaches Corner restaurant on Ocean Avenue, where 17-year-old employee Evony McCray fatally shot 18-year-old Myrtle Beach resident Grayson Meyers. McRae is from Conway.
McCray was arrested in connection with the shooting and later admitted to shooting Meyers. Police did not confirm whether Meyers was also armed.
Myrtle Beach summer crime sparks change
After the Peach Point shooting, the city imposed a temporary curfew on teenagers ahead of the July 4th weekend, a popular time for tourists to visit, and eventually made it permanent.
The new curfew prohibits minors from entering the downtown area and other city-operated establishments from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. unless they meet certain exemptions.
City officials acknowledged that the earlier curfew would not solve all of the city’s youth crime problems. For example, the mass shooting in April involved a legal adult, while the Peach Point shooting involved a teenager who was working and therefore exempted from the curfew, even though both shootings occurred late at night.
When the curfew was first implemented, law enforcement officials said police departments aimed to voluntarily comply with the curfew, especially by maintaining a visible police presence in downtown areas. While this doesn’t mean a major increase in the number of officers downtown, the Myrtle Beach Police Department has made efforts to increase their visibility in the public eye, even starting their own webcast.
The Myrtle Beach Police Department launched the “Fridays on the Frontline” video series on Facebook in July following a spate of violent crimes downtown. The series follows officers discussing the cases they work in the city, often against the bright lights of the downtown tourist district.
Myrtle Beach police Lt. Alan Amick previously told the Sun-News that the department’s transparency efforts reflect its primary focus of “visibility, community engagement and proactive enforcement.”
As spring break approaches again, Myrtle Beach police spokesman Randolph Angotti said in an email to the Sun-News that the city is continuing to evaluate its response plans. Angotti said the city plans to deploy resources “directly as needed” due to an increase in certain crimes due to increased traffic and visitor numbers in the city.
“This will include aggressive policing through increased manpower, traffic safety spots and enforcement, as well as public education and outreach on our state laws and city ordinances,” Angotti wrote.
