You hear North Myrtle Beach and you think of calm waves, soft sand, and maybe a slightly quieter version of the neon chaos down in Myrtle proper. But then a headline hits about a north myrtle beach shooting, and suddenly the vibe shifts. It’s scary. It's frustrating. It makes you wonder if the Grand Strand is still the same place you remember from childhood vacations.
Honestly, the term "Myrtle Beach" gets tossed around as a catch-all for anything happening in Horry County. But locals know there is a massive difference between the two cities. When people search for a north myrtle beach shooting, they are often looking for the details of the May 2025 incident near Little River or the terrifying moment an officer was injured during a chaotic response at a marina.
The Little River Charter Boat Incident: May 2025
The most significant recent event that people associate with this area happened over Memorial Day weekend in 2025. It wasn't on the boardwalk. It didn't happen in a hotel lobby. It went down on a private charter boat—the Dolphin Cruise—docked in Little River, just a stone's throw from the North Myrtle Beach city limits.
Imagine 124 people on a boat. Music is playing. It’s a holiday. Then, an argument starts. These weren't locals; police later confirmed the party attendees were mostly from out of town. The situation escalated fast. Gunshots rang out, and by the time the smoke cleared, 11 people were injured. Ten of them had gunshot wounds. Some were so desperate to escape they actually jumped into the water.
Horry County Police Chief Kris Leonhardt was blunt about it: this was an isolated incident stemming from a specific fight. But for the people watching from the shore, it felt like anything but isolated. It felt like a war zone.
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The Accidental Discharge at Harbourgate Marina
Here is where things got really confusing for the public. As North Myrtle Beach Police officers were rushing to help with the Little River shooting, a second "shooting" was reported at the Harbourgate Marina.
The initial reports were terrifying. People thought there was a second gunman. In reality, a North Myrtle Beach officer was entering a gate at the dock when his rifle discharged twice. He wasn't even holding the trigger—his hands were on the gate. One of those rounds hit him in the leg.
SLED (South Carolina Law Enforcement Division) eventually confirmed through video evidence that it was an accidental discharge. But in the heat of the moment? Every officer on the scene thought they were under fire from the marina. This is how rumors of "multiple active shooters" start spreading on social media within minutes.
Real Talk on Safety: North vs. South
People get the two cities mixed up constantly. If you look at the 2025 crime stats, Myrtle Beach (the main city) has a violent crime rate of about 49.31 per 1,000 residents. That’s high. No way around it.
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North Myrtle Beach is a different story. Its violent crime rate sits significantly lower at roughly 27.7.
- Myrtle Beach: High density, massive nightlife, higher property crime.
- North Myrtle Beach: More residential, family-oriented, generally quieter.
- The Overlap: Criminals don't care about city limit signs on Highway 17.
Why Does This Keep Happening During Holidays?
It’s the "Tourist Paradox." You bring in hundreds of thousands of people into a small geographic area, add heat, add alcohol, and subtract the "I know my neighbor" accountability.
Most shootings in the area, including the fatal April 2025 incident on Ocean Boulevard (which was in Myrtle Beach, not North), involve young people from out of town bringing personal beefs to the beach. Jarius Davis, an 18-year-old who died in that April incident, was from Bennettsville.
The police are trying. They really are. In 2025, the City of Myrtle Beach ratified a new Memorandum of Understanding with the FBI to modernize how they track these groups. They’ve also poured money into "Real Time Crime Centers." We’re talking over 1,400 camera views across the city. They are literally watching the streets in high-def 24/7.
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What Most People Get Wrong
The biggest misconception is that you’ll just be sitting on your beach towel and a bullet will fly by. That’s not what the data shows. Almost every north myrtle beach shooting or Horry County incident involves:
- An existing dispute between people who know each other.
- Late-night hours (usually after 9:00 PM).
- High-traffic holiday weekends.
If you aren't hanging out at 2:00 AM in a parking lot where a fight is breaking out, your statistical risk drops to nearly zero. But "nearly zero" doesn't help the 11 people who were on that boat in Little River. It doesn't help the families who now check for the nearest exit when they go to a restaurant.
Moving Forward: Safety Steps for Your Next Trip
If you're heading to the Grand Strand and you're worried about the headlines, you don't have to cancel your trip. You just have to be smart.
- Stay North of 60th Ave: Generally, the further north you go into the residential areas of North Myrtle Beach, the lower the crime rates.
- Watch the Calendar: If you want to avoid the "chaos" factor, avoid Memorial Day weekend and the period around Atlantic Beach Bikefest.
- Check the Map: Use tools like the LexisNexis Community Crime Map. It’s public. You can see exactly what has happened near your rental house in the last 30 days.
- Trust Your Gut: If a crowd starts feeling "rowdy" or "tense," just leave. Most of these incidents have a "simmering" period before the first shot is fired.
The reality of the north myrtle beach shooting incidents is that they are often tragedies of opportunity and escalation. The cities are getting more aggressive with policing—implementing one-way traffic patterns to allow emergency vehicles to move faster and using ShotSpotter technology to detect gunfire instantly.
Is it perfect? No. But the "danger zone" narrative you see on TikTok is usually stripped of the context that these are isolated, dispute-driven events. Stick to the family spots, keep your eyes open, and North Myrtle Beach remains one of the best stretches of sand on the East Coast.
Actionable Insights for Travelers:
Keep the North Myrtle Beach Police non-emergency number (843-280-5511) in your phone. If you see a crowd gathering or a situation that feels like it’s about to boil over, report it before it escalates. Safety in 2026 is about being proactive, not just reactive.