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Jerrius Davis

Age : 18

Gender : Male

Race : Black

Date : 04/26/2025

Location : 900 block of North Ocean Boulevard (outside Mr. Fries restaurant)

City : Myrtle Beach

County : Horry

State : South Carolina

Agency : Myrtle Beach Police Department

Officer(s) :Brandon O'Rourke

Cause of Death : Gunshot

Event : Killed by police during "shots fired" call

OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :

On 04/26/2025, shortly before midnight, Myrtle Beach Police Department officers responded to reports of gunfire outside Mr. Fries restaurant in the 900 block of North Ocean Boulevard. The area was crowded with pedestrians when multiple shots were fired, triggering panic as people fled in different directions. Eighteen-year-old Jerrius Davis was identified as the person shot and killed by Myrtle Beach Police Officer Brandon O'Rourke. Eleven other people, ranging in age from 13 to 43, were wounded during the incident.
According to the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED), Officer O'Rourke and two other officers were inside the restaurant when gunfire erupted outside. O'Rourke stated that he saw Davis fire a handgun into the crowd and believed he was confronting an active shooter. ShotSpotter data reviewed during the investigation indicated Davis fired four rounds while O'Rourke fired five rounds. Davis died at the scene from gunshot wounds. A police report later classified the killing as a justifiable homicide.
Investigators concluded that the shooting was connected to an ongoing dispute between groups from Bennettsville, South Carolina, and Laurinburg, North Carolina. Earlier the same evening, Myrtle Beach police had responded to another shooting involving members of the same groups on 5th Avenue North. SLED conducted the criminal investigation, and Fifteenth Circuit Solicitor Jimmy Richardson later determined that O'Rourke acted reasonably under South Carolina law and declined to file criminal charges. O'Rourke returned to active duty on 08/29/2025.
On 08/03/2026, two people wounded in the shooting—Matthew Flow and Kendra Malloy, acting on behalf of her minor daughter Serenity Chavis—filed a federal civil rights lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina. The lawsuit alleges that Officer O'Rourke violated the Fourth and Fourteenth Amendments by firing repeatedly into a crowded sidewalk and making the conscious decision to use deadly force despite numerous bystanders being directly in the line of fire. The complaint further alleges that no other officer at the scene fired into the crowd and accuses the Myrtle Beach Police Department of gross negligence for failing to properly train, supervise, and retain officers. The plaintiffs seek compensatory damages, consequential damages, and punitive damages. The Myrtle Beach Police Department declined to comment because of the pending litigation.
The lawsuit represents the first major civil challenge arising from the shooting and directly contests the official conclusion that Officer O'Rourke's actions were justified, arguing that the officer's gunfire unnecessarily endangered innocent bystanders and caused multiple civilian injuries in addition to Davis's death.

SOURCE LINKS :

https://www.wmbfnews.com/2025/05/09/myrtle-beach-police-department-releases-reports-deadly-officer-involved-shooting/
https://www.wmbfnews.com/2025/05/29/myrtle-beach-police-release-dashcam-new-details-deadly-officer-involved-shooting/
https://www.wmbfnews.com/2025/04/29/sled-provides-new-details-deadly-myrtle-beach-officer-involved-shooting/
https://www.wrdw.com/2025/04/28/sled-investigates-sc-officer-involved-shooting-that-killed-1-injured-11/
https://www.wbtw.com/news/grand-strand/myrtle-beach-news/18-year-old-bennettsville-man-identified-as-subject-in-deadly-myrtle-beach-officer-involved-shooting/
https://www.wmbfnews.com/2025/05/20/arrest-made-pee-dee-connected-myrtle-beach-officer-involved-shooting/
https://www.wmbfnews.com/2026/08/06/2-11-injured-deadly-myrtle-beach-officer-involved-shooting-file-federal-lawsuit/