MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WBTW) – The Horry County Police Department is investigating two shootings at a bar early Thursday morning.
According to Lt. Raul Denis, the shootings happened at Fat Boiz Bar on Fred Nash Boulevard, just off US 17 Bypass.
Denis said a security guard outside reported a gunshot during a fight on one side of the parking lot, and then a crowd of people came out of the bar and two more gun shots happened in a different part of the parking lot.
According to officers, a 24-year-old man and a 33-year-old man were shot, and both were taken to the hospital in separate vehicles. They both went into surgery Thursday morning and police were not aware of their conditions.
Patrick Brave and his wife own the Myrtle Beach bar and were shocked by Thursday’s shooting.
“My heart dropped you know because the first thing I wanted to know was everybody safe. You know then what happened but then I found out that everybody wasn’t safe that two guys had got shot and I was like where did that happen,” Brave said.
Horry County Police say this is the third shooting incident at the bar since April 18, 2015. Brave and his wife took over the business in September of last year and thought the security plan was sufficient.
“Seven armed security, you know we thought we had it under wraps and we just didn’t,” Brave said.
It’s something that concerns those who live near the club.
“I have an 8 month old baby and like I said I’m glad they didn’t come down this little road with all the shooting. I’ve had to call the cops once before when the guy was shooting at cars going down the highway,” Lindsey Smith said.
Brave says safety is the biggest concern for his customers and those who live in the community.
“Our intentions are to make sure that they are safe hands down you know we got to make sure that everybody is safe in there. Like I said , we thought we had it under wraps like I said and you know it just takes two.”
Moving forward Brave says security will take a new approach to the way they handle things.
“I think we’ll just have to monitor them you know when the outburst happen we’ll just have to treat them like a baby and walk them toward their car and make sure that they get into their car and leave the property.”
Brave says Fat Boiz Bar and Grill will be closed for the next few weeks as the investigation continues.