Horry County deputy police chief says recent shootings are ‘almost all’ drug or gang-related

HORRY COUNTY, S.C. (WBTW) — Horry County’s deputy police chief on Monday said that three shootings in the Longs area last week and other recent shootings have “almost all” been drug or gang-related.

Lance Winburn addressed several incidents, including three Longs shootings that happened within the past week, which left four total people hurt. The first one happened overnight on Wednesday near Pint Circle. Two people showed up to a hospital with broken legs from the shooting.

Horry County police responded at about 3:20 a.m. on Friday for a shooting, according to an incident report provided by the department. An officer responded to Rose Circle in the Longs area and spoke with a woman who said there were two bullet holes in the back of her trailer from a shooting that happened earlier in the night.

“For anybody who would want to shoot up somebody’s property, whether it’s a house or a vehicle, just know that we’re after you,” Winburn said. “That’s what we do. We have extra folks out there dedicated to this task.”

The most recent shooting happened on Saturday morning near Sandridge Loop and Nancy Lane, police said. Two people were hurt in that shooting and were provided medical assistance until EMS arrived.

Winburn said the issues aren’t just happening in Longs. He said they span from Loris to Little River, mainly on the Highway 9 corridor. The department has stepped up its patrol and narcotics function as a result.

“Any shooting incident that we have, we take serious,” he said. “When the numbers start to pick up in general, then that’s a sign to us that, OK, we need to respond appropriately and add patrol and that street crimes unit schedules in those areas.”

In total, Horry County police have responded to at least five shooting incidents in the Longs area since May 28, according to reports provided to News13 by the department. In the May 28 incident, which happened on Freemont Road, Jalen Hegger was charged with attempted murder after allegedly assaulting a woman and shooting at her.

Winburn called the perpetrators “cowardly.”

“What these folks, I don’t know if they don’t understand or if they don’t care, but when you’re shooting at another gang member or an opposing drug dealer and you do it in this fashion, in drive-by shootings, you got to know that there’s innocent people in these houses and in these vehicles that you’re shooting at,” he said. “I can’t think of a more cowardly way to shoot at somebody than to stick a barrel of a weapon out of a window and drive by and fire in that direction.”

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Anyone with information on the recent shootings is asked to call the HCPD tipline at 843-915-8477.

News13 was originally told Police Chief Joseph Hill would be there, but was unavailable because of a “last-minute scheduling issue.”

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Caleb is a digital producer at News13. Caleb joined the team in January 2023 after graduating from Liberty University. He is from Northern Virginia. Follow Caleb on X, formerly Twitter, and read more of his work here .

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Gracie is a multimedia journalist at News 13 and is from Cleveland, Ohio. Gracie joined the team in June 2023 after graduating from the University of Alabama in May. Follow Gracie on Facebook , Instagram and X, formerly Twitter, & read more of her work here .

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