A man was shot while officers attempted to serve a drug arrest and search warrant at a Myrtle Beach apartment on Thursday afternoon, police said.
The incident happened around 3:10 pm on Withers Swash Drive and involved a law enforcement officer, said Lt. Joey Crosby of the Myrtle Beach Police Department.
SLED said Friday afternoon that Julian Ray Betton, age 30, was shot during the incident.
Officials told News13 earlier Friday that officers returned fire from the suspect they were trying to arrest.
Related info: Click here to read the press release from SLED (pdf document)
“Officers of the 15th Judicial Circuit Drug Enforcement Unit responded (to) 602 Withers Swash Drive (in) reference the execution of a narcotics warrant,” Crosby said.
“Upon execution of the warrant an officer was involved in a shooting with the occupants of the apartment,” Lt. Crosby added.
15th Judicial Circuit Solicitor Jimmy Richardson told News 13 he believes his officer acted in self defense.
“The officer returned fire. Of course it’s up to SLED (South Carolina Law Enforcement Division) to talk to everybody and get everybody’s side of it, but my understanding is that the officer returned fire,” said Richardson.
Lt. Crosby told News13 that the male occupant at the apartments suffered a gunshot wound. Solicitor Richardson says the person shot was the individual police were executing the arrest warrant against.
Betton was transported to an area hospital for treatment, according to Myrtle Beach Police. The arrest warrant was for drug charges, Richardson said.
The officers involved are Frank Waddell of CCU Police, Chris Dennis of the Horry County Sheriff’s Office and Officer David Belue of Myrtle Beach Police, SLED said.
Richardson also said that officers of the Drug Enforcement Unit are not given body cams. SLED later said Friday that there is no body cam video of the incident.
Officer Belue is a Patrolman First Class assigned to the 15th Judicial Circuit Drug Enforcement Unit, Crosby said.
Officer Belue has been employed with the Myrtle Beach Police Department since 2007 and has been placed on modified duty, according to Crosby.
Waddell has been with CCU since November 2013 and is on administrative leave, university officials said.
The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division continues to investigate the incident.