SC man charged with shooting woman in the chest. ‘She’s dying,’ driver tells police

Editor’s note : This story is being updated to correct the headline. (Updated 2:39 p.m.)

A Conway man was arrested after allegedly shooting a woman in the chest during an argument.

Michael Cornelius Junior Beaty II, 18, of Conway was arrested July 24, 2024, by U.S. Marshals on charges of assault of a high and aggravated nature, possession of a weapon during a violent crime and driving with a suspended license.

An officer observed about 12:20 p.m. on June 29 a vehicle driving at a high-rate of speed with its flashers on, according to a police report. The officer turned on his lights and sirens and attempted to catch up with the vehicle, which continued to drive fast and erratic, often driving on the opposite side of the road, the report said.

When the vehicle stopped on Church Street, the officer asked the driver why he was going so fast. The man responded, “She is dying,” the report said. The man told the officer that his girlfriend had been shot.

The officer saw a woman in the back seat of the vehicle with an apparent gun shot wound to her upper chest, the report said. The woman was transported to the hospital.

Police determined that Beaty and the victim allegedly got into an argument at a residence on El Bethel Road in Conway, an arrest warrant said.

Beaty is accused of producing a handgun and shooting the victim in the chest once, causing great bodily harm, injury or death, an arrest warrant said.

It is unclear from the report the victim’s condition.

Beaty remains in J. Reuben Long Detention Center without bond.