Visitors witness deadly Myrtle Beach drive-by shooting

MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WMBF) – A dream trip to the beach turned scary for some over the holiday weekend when violence broke out on one of the city's busiest streets.

“It’s just a shame that this happened right in front of my hotel. It’s very unfortunate, very senseless,” said visitor and witness Blake Garrett.

Anthony Garner, a 44-year-old man from Albemarle, North Carolina, is accused of shooting 31-year-old Cedrick Reddick Saturday on Ocean Boulevard.

Police said part of a road rage incident sparked a fight that escalated between the two men. Some visitors said they thought the sounds were just someone revving a motorcycle, but it turned out they were actually hearing gunshots.

Others said they witnessed the murder from their hotel.

“It was back to back there, like I said, it was instantaneous,” Garrett said. “It seemed like an altercation with two people arguing at first and then the other person in the other car, or whatever, unfortunately shot the other man.”

The incident also caused serious infrastructure problems, with officers blocking off parts of the boulevard for the crime scene, during the busiest times of the year.

People said they were disappointed to see such violence in a family-friendly destination like Myrtle Beach and say calmer heads could have prevented the shooting and saved a life.

“People were frustrated with being in traffic, and there was a situation where one guy was trying to get out of traffic, and another guy was trying to merge into traffic, and they got into an altercation,” Garrett said .

Although the shooting shook some, other visitors said they wouldn't let it deter future trips to the Grand Strand.

“Unfortunately, things happen, and when you get that many people and everything, on the other hand, unfortunately a young man lost his life,” Garrett said.

A Myrtle Beach judge was unable to grant or deny Garner bail Saturday. He will face another bond hearing with a circuit judge on two charges later next month.

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