‘It should have never happened:’ Friends mourn loss of Loris teen

Dozens of trucks rolled though downtown Loris Monday night in remberence of slain teen Spencer Prince.

Friends of Prince gathered at the Waccamaw River boat landing on Red Bluff before starting the drive. Some teens were selling stickers to raise money for Prince’s family.

A 16-year-old Loris High School student and baseball player, Prince was shot and killed during a party on Good Luck Road in Aynor on Sunday. Police arrested 47-year-old Michael Williamson and charged him with Prince’s death.

“Spencer Prince was a really popular kid known around Loris,” said 19-year-old Jacob Lones, who organized the event.

Lones said he had heard several stories about the events leading to Prince’s death, but didn’t want to speculate on how the shooting happened.

“What had happened to him wasn’t necessary,” he said. “It should have never happened. He was a really good-hearted kid, and never deserved anything that he got. I just ask that everybody keep his family in prayer for this tragic thing that has happened to him.”

Lones said he moved to the area about a year ago and was one of Prince’s hunting buddies. He said Prince was well known around Loris, Aynor and Green Sea.

Prince was “all about trucks” and loved to show off his white Chevy 1500, said Lones.

“I feel like if we all got our trucks together it would just be for Spencer and what he would want us to do,” he said.

Caleb West, 17, said Prince was a great friend.

“It’s a sad loss we had to take but we’ll see him once again in heaven one day,” said West. “We know he’s watching over us today. We’re all here meeting for him and raising money for him to help out his family and look over him so he can look over us.”

West said Prince was a warm-hearted person who cared for everyone around him.

“Everybody liked him,” said West. “It’s been sad seeing all the pictures and everything put up about him. All the memories people had with him. We’ve lost a valuable asset to the community.”

There will be a visitation for Prince at the Goldfinch Funeral Home in Loris from 5 - 7 p.m. Wednesday. A service will be held at Bethany Baptist Church at 11 a.m. on Thursday.

This story was originally published July 11, 2017 at 9:30 PM.