Officer-involved shooting on Ocean Boulevard deemed ‘justifiable homicide,’ police report shows

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WBTW) — A Myrtle Beach police officer’s use of deadly force to stop a man from shooting into a large crowd along Ocean Boulevard last month was ruled a “justifiable homicide” by the agency.

The Myrtle Beach Police Department on Friday released incident reports stemming from the April 16 incident at 913 S. Ocean Blvd. that left 18-year-old Jerrius Davis of Bennettsville dead and 11 others injured.

“During the altercation, one of the individuals began firing a weapon. At that time, based on the immediate threat, an officer responded by discharging their firearm,” the incident report states. “The individual shot during the officer’s response has passed away as a result of his injuries.”

The report doesn’t name which officer fired at Davis. The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division is investigating, as is standard procedure in any officer-involved shooting.

The confrontation was at least the 25th instance of gun violence along Ocean Boulevard since 2020, according to a News13 analysis.

Officials said days after the shooting that three officers are on paid leave.