The man accused of being the gunman in a shooting on Myrtle Beach’s Ocean Blvd. on the morning of Father’s Day 2017 will get a mental health evaluation.
Derias Little is one of five people accused in the shooting that got national attention after it was captured in a Facebook live video.
In court in Conway on Wednesday, Little’s attorney requested a mental health evaluation. Attorney Garryl Deas claimed his client was hurt during the melee and the he was no coherent enough to have fire the shots he is accused of firing. Deas also told the judge he had concerns about Little’s mental competency, especially after seeing Little’s difficulty in answering some basic questions during a previous hearing.
Judge Larry Hyman granted the defense request and ordered Little get an evaluation from the Department of Mental Health & the Department of Special Needs.
The solicitor’s office plans to move forward with a trial in this case in 3-5 months.
When Little appeared for his bond hearing back in June of 2018, he was in a wheel chair and had a cast on his left arm. The judge denied bond at the time. Little was still incarcerated as of his appearance Wednesday, and he appeared in a jail jumpsuit.
Bond was also denied for one other defendant in July of 2017 and two other defendants in January of 2018. Those two defendants were later granted bond in March of 2018. One defendant was granted bond in May of 2018.