Myrtle Beach police officers involved in shooting near waterway

Myrtle Beach police officers were involved in a shooting this morning in the area of 79th Ave. North and Marina Parkway.

Officers responded to the area about 10:44 a.m. in an attempt to locate a suicidal man. Police made contact with the individual near the Intracoastal Waterway.

During the encounter, the man produced a weapon that made officers fear for their lives, according to a release by Lt. Joey Crosby with the Myrtle Beach Police Department.

The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division and Horry County Solicitors Office were called to the scene. There was no information available on the status of the shooting victim.

Myrtle Beach police were involved in another officer-involved shooting a little more than a week ago on March 26 that resulted in a 55-year-old man’s death.

Donald Andrew White had recently moved to the Myrtle Beach area before he was killed during an incident with police, who feared for their lives, authorities said.

A caller contacted the Myrtle Beach Police Department about 3:26 a.m. March 26 and told authorities White was acting strangely at 21st Avenue North and Robert Grissom Parkway, Crosby said.

Police saw White had a gun in his hand when they arrived, and a negotiator was called in a short time later. However, officers began to fear for their safety and fired their weapons, Crosby said. White later died from his injuries at Grand Strand Regional Medical Center.

Tuesday’s incident was the 12th officer-involved shooting in South Carolina in 2016, and the second this year involving Myrtle Beach police.

Last year, there were 48 officer-involved shooting incidents in the state and none involved the Myrtle Beach Police Department, according to Thom Berry, spokesman with SLED.

“SLED conducts law enforcement involved shooting investigations at the request of the agency involved in the incident. This independent investigation follows SLED’s guidance in conducting interviews, along with the gathering and analysis of forensic evidence. Interviews are being conducted with the responding officers and others,” Berry said in a press release.

“This is rare,” Crosby said of the two officer-involved shootings, but couldn’t comment further because both incidents are under investigation by SLED.

Check back for more information.

This story was originally published April 5, 2016 at 4:28 PM with the headline "Myrtle Beach police officers involved in shooting near waterway."