‘Screaming for help’: Teen recounts being shot during deadly S.C. officer-involved shooting
MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WMBF) - One of the the teen victims injured during a shooting in downtown Myrtle Beach held a news conference on Wednesday afternoon.
Serenity Chavis, 15, and her mother, Kendra Malloy, along with civil rights activist John C. Barnett, stood in front of the Myrtle Beach police station to answer questions and to demand answers in the April 26 Ocean Boulevard shooting.
Chavis was shot during a deadly officer-involved shooting that night.
She recounted the moments surrounding the shooting and shared the scary realization that she had been shot.
“I just heard gunshots, and I’m not a runner, but I tried to run,” Chavis said. " I didn’t feel the bullet, my leg just gave out. I couldn’t run no more, I’m trying to drag my leg and go, but I just couldn’t do it, and it just gave out.”
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Myrtle Beach Police Chief Amy Prock said officers rushed to an encounter with an armed man actively shooting into a crowd of people near 9th Avenue North.
Prock said her officer returned fire at the armed man, who was identified as 18-year-old Jerrius Davis of Bennettsville, who died at the scene. The chief added that 11 people suffered gunshot-related injuries, but didn’t go into detail about the injuries those people sustained. Gunshot-related injuries can include being hit by shrapnel or being grazed by a bullet.
Chavis was taken to a hospital for treatment and released days later. Chavis is expected to make a recovery following intense physical therapy.
Malloy shared her frustration with the way that she said the Myrtle Beach Police Department has handled the situation, leaving her and her daughter in the dark.
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“I want answers, I’ve been left in the blind,” Malloy said. “Nobody has come [forward], the police department has not ed me, no police report. We were in the hospital for 5 days, nobody reached out to us, they said nothing, it’s like we’re nobody.”
She added that her daughter was just like any other kid on spring break, trying to enjoy her time at the beach, but now she is left with irreparable trauma.
“It’s not about the bills, it’s about the safety of my kids. She came down to the beach to have fun, any normal kid comes to the beach to have fun and she’s not even safe. She’s emotionally traumatized, and I want something done about it.”
Malloy said she plans to try and speak with Prock on Wednesday after the news conference and try to get answers for her daughter.
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The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division is investigating, which is typically for officer-involved shootings.
The city of Myrtle Beach and the police department released the following statement after Wednesday’s news conference.
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